Verdigris Ensemble Will Present THE VELVETEEN RABBIT in Dallas This May
Directed by Emily Ernst and conducted by Sam Brukhman.
Award‑winning Verdigris Ensemble, recently recognized by D Magazine's Best of Big D for Best Production of Shams, invites audiences to experience The Velveteen Rabbit, a tender and immersive retelling of Margery Williams' beloved children's story. Running May 15-17, 2026 at 7:30 PM at Dallas Children's Theater's Rosewood Center for Family Arts, the production marks the final performance of Verdigris Ensemble's RE:IMAGINE 25/26 season and a meaningful return to the work that began it all.
What does it mean to become real? In The Velveteen Rabbit, Verdigris Ensemble reimagines the classic tale as a gentle, magical performance designed especially for families. Semi‑staged with projections and a live actor, the production invites audiences into a world where voices become landscape, atmosphere, and emotional extension of the story itself. As the Rabbit's journey unfolds, moments of narration give way to music that blooms naturally, layering feeling, wonder, and playfulness while surrounding the audience in sound that feels alive and responsive.
Directed by Emily Ernst, conceived and conducted by Sam Brukhman, with visuals by Courtney Ware, The Velveteen Rabbit transforms 16 singers into a living environment, shaping the nursery, the seasons, and the inner emotional world of the characters. Through warm harmonies, gentle movement, and evocative imagery, the performance explores love, belonging, and the quiet transformation that comes from being cared for over time.
Created as Verdigris Ensemble's very first production in 2017 and now returning as the final performance of Season 9, The Velveteen Rabbit beautifully bridges the ensemble's past and future as it approaches its 10th anniversary. With a 60‑minute runtime, the experience is intimate, playful, and deeply moving, offering children and adults alike a reminder that love does not demand perfection, and that our wear, our scars, and our care for one another are exactly what make us real.
"These productions embody our season to reimagine classic stories," said Brukhman. "From revisiting a timeless tale of love and transformation, we invite audiences to see and hear stories in ways they've never imagined."
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