L to R (top to bottom): Shelli Delgado, Pamela Gold, Jontavious Johnson, Kylie Gray Mask, Wesley Tunison, Juan Carlos Unzueta and more.
The Alliance Theatre is excited to announce the second Hertz Stage production of the 2023/24 season, the world premiere of its new musical, Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit™ Tale. The Alliance’s production is presented in partnership with the High Museum of Art’s exhibition, Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature, on display October 13–January 7, 2024. Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit™ Tale will run October 14 – December 23, 2023.
Featuring beloved characters from the classic Beatrix Potter tales and a variety of original songs, this new tale encourages us to acknowledge our fears and work together to overcome challenges. As the neighborly forest animals gather in the rabbit’s den – under Mr. McGregor’s Garden – for a surprise party for Peter, the animals soon realize Mr. McGregor has terrible plans for the land around Peter's burrow. The biggest surprise of all – and for the first time ever – they’ve invited us to join them!
“Writing a story based on such beloved characters was exciting and daunting. I spent a lot of time with the original stories and looking at Beatrix Potter’s wonderful illustrations trying to imagine the full life of these characters beyond what Potter wrote,” said Writer and Director Mark Valdez. “For instance, I was asking myself, what do they sound like? What would they do at a party? What is the thing they most enjoy and that makes them laugh? By asking these questions, I got to know them. From there I was able to select the characters that needed to be in this play. I knew I wanted them each to have a talent or skill, so part of my imagining was picturing them performing for each other…That was a fun exercise.”
The cast of Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit™ Tale features Pamela Gold (TV: The Walking Dead) as Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, Jontavious Johnson (Netflix: Outer Banks, TV: P-Valley) as Mr. Alderman Ptolemy Tortoise, Shelli Delgado (Alliance Theatre: A Christmas Carol, Little Raindrop Songs) as Squirrel Nutkin, Kylie Gray Mask (Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre: Good Bad People, Alliance Theatre: A Christmas Carol) as Benjamin Bunny, Wesley Tunison (HBO: Vinyl) as Jeremy Fisher, and Juan Carlos Unzueta (Alliance Theatre: The Incredible Book Eating Boy, Actor’s Express: Little Shop of Horrors) as Peter. The understudies for Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit™ Tale include Sims Lamason, Patty de la Garza, Halli Rider, Isreal Vaughan, and Matthew Wangemann.
The creative team of Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit™ Tale includes Writer and Director Mark Valdez, Artistic Director of Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis, Choreographer Rachel Van Buskirk, Set Designer Kat Conley, Shadow Puppet Designer & Filmographer Raymond Carr, Costume Designer Garry Lennon, Lighting Designer Karin Olson, Sound Designer Hidenori (“Hide”) Nakajo, and Associate Director Sam Provenzano.
The original songs in Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit™ Tale were composed by an eclectic group of all-star musicians to reflect the unique sounds of Atlanta. The songwriters include Christian Albright, Christian Magby, AnnMarie Milazzo, Divinity Roxx, Eugene Russell IV, and Jacob Ryan Smith. Brandon Bush serves as Music Supervisor and Composer, and Imani Quiñones serves as Music Director, Orchestrator, and Conductor.
Additional production support is provided by Stage Manager Barbara Gantt O’Haley, Stage Management Production Assistant Sam Honeycutt, Co-Line Producer and Alliance Theatre Artistic Director Chris Moses, Co-Line Producer Amanda Watkins, Co-Production Management Lead Lawrence Bennett, and Co-Production Management Lead Haylee Scott.
“Many people grew up on Beatrix Potter’s stories. Peter Rabbit is a part of our mainstream culture. It’s been an opportunity of a lifetime to create a new story for these well-known and much beloved characters,” added Valdez. “We’ve put together a new story that is funny, hopeful, and immersive. We’re looking at these characters through a contemporary lens, inviting young people to not only consider the pain of loss and grief, but also the possibilities that come from communal stewardship of our land and environment.”
Find more information about Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit™ Tale here.
PETER RABBIT™ & BEATRIX POTTER™ © Frederick Warne & Co., 2023. Frederick Warne & Co. is the owner of all rights, copyrights and trademarks in the Beatrix Potter character names and illustrations. Licensed by Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
