Kirk Players to perform ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’

Mundelein’s Kirk Players are bringing back their production of the heartwarming Margery Williams story “The Velveteen Rabbit” just in time for the holidays.

This adaptation by Scott Davidson, uniquely staged, encourages audience participation.

Shows are Saturdays and Sundays, Nov. 30 to Dec. 22, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Loyola’s Cuneo Museum and Gardens, Vernon Hills. Tickets are $9 for adults and $7 for children. Show is approximately 45 minutes in length.

Tickets are available at www.kirkplayers.org or by calling (847) 521-6192.

This year, the show has many new cast members, including young actors who contribute to the wonder and joy of this tale of a girl and her beloved toy bunny. The play will be performed in the Great Hall of Loyola’s Cuneo Museum and Gardens.

The story centers on a child who receives a stuffed velveteen rabbit for Christmas. The rabbit is shunned by many of the more expensive toys in the nursery, so the rabbit befriends a stuffed skin horse who explains what it means to be “real.”

The child’s love for the bunny makes the bunny real and the child is able to overcome all fears.

Directors for the show are Paddy Lynn and Gretchen Grassl; stage manager is Sheila Bourque; and assistant stage managers are Deb Bivona and Robin Moritz.

Cast members include Patrick Blake, Emily Blake, Maeve Brady, Susie Hill, Isabelle Jurasz, Jacki Kinzy, Stefani Kinzy, Marina Kinzy, Samantha Muench, Sara Joy Pechtl, Mary Jo Pippenger and Hannah Willems.

Bring an unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots and receive a coupon for free hot chocolate. Your ticket stub enters you into a raffle to win a basket of stuffed bunnies.