The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane opens at the Oscar G. Brockett Theatre on Thursday, October 8, and runs through Sunday, October 18. It's a stage adaptation of Kate DiCamillo's novel, brought to the UT Austin campus by the Department of Theatre & Dance.

The story follows Edward Tulane, a vain and self-centered toy rabbit who gets thrown overboard during an ocean voyage. From there, his travels across the country span several decades, taking him through love, loss, and heartbreak. It's a long journey for a small rabbit, and the play doesn't shy away from the heavier parts of it—grief, abuse, the loss of a child, and the instability of housing and jobs all find their way onto the stage.

Behind the scenes, Dwayne Hartford adapted the script from DiCamillo's book, and Julia Kreutzer directed. Kreutzer is a Philadelphia-based director and an M.F.A. candidate at UT Austin, and she also co-founded the Incline Theater Collective. The production itself has a bit of history: it was originally commissioned, developed, and produced at Childsplay in Tempe, Arizona, under artistic director David P. Saar and managing director Steve Martin.

It's playing at the Oscar G. Brockett Theatre, an intimate 244-seat room in the F. Loren Winship Drama Building at 300 E. 23rd Street. The space is used mostly for student productions of the UT Austin Department of Theatre & Dance, which is exactly how it works here—it's a student production, and the small room puts you close to the action. Tickets run from $10 to $26.

There are plenty of dates to choose from. The run kicks off with a preview on October 8 at 7:30 PM. Evening performances follow on October 9, 10, 14, 15, and 16, all at 7:30 PM. Matinees are on October 11 and 18 at 2:00 PM, with the October 16 evening show serving as a student matinee for K-12.