Fringe Festival Review - Rule of Three's "The Velveteen Rabbit"

Poster © Rule of Three. Used under fair dealing for review purposes.

Back in the summer of 2025, during my internship with Met Radio, I had the unique opportunity to attend my first ever Toronto Fringe Festival! Being an unapologetic theatre nerd, it seems strange to me now that I had never before checked out this vibrant event for myself, but surely enough I had a spectacular time! The shows I watched were so cleverly written and entertaining, showcasing the creativity and dedication of the respective production teams.

For anyone who doesn't know, Toronto Fringe is a grassroots, charitable organization that runs the annual Toronto Fringe Festival every year since 1989, with the goal of providing emerging artists, BIPOC artists, artists with disabilities, and members of the performing arts community who have historically been excluded from established arts festivals, with an inclusive space to showcase their craft

Taking place over the course of 12 days every July, the Toronto Fringe Festival invites as many as 1,200 artists from around Canada to showcase their work in one of Downtown Toronto’s 30 theatre venues, ranging from performances in comedy, drama, musicals, improv, children’s theatre, dance, and more. 

As someone who seeks any opportunity to let out his inner child, the shows that caught my attention were those included in Fringe's "KidsFest"—this is how I came across Rule of Three's production of The Velveteen Rabbit. Led by three emerging artists Mya Leworthy, Lucy Ellis, and Naomi Jijina—Rule of Three is a relatively new theatre collective geared towards children’s theatre, with “The Velveteen Rabbit” being their first production!

Directed by Summer Mahmud, with music by Lucy Ellis, “The Velveteen Rabbit” is an adaptation of Margery Williams’ classic children’s book of the same name, and tells the story of a stuffed rabbit's desire to become real through the love of his owner. Originally published in 1922, the story has since been republished many times and adapted for film, television, and other media over the years.

You can listen to my audio review below.

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**This audio review was featured as part of Met Radio's "TO Fringe" 2025 coverage. You can listen to other Toronto Fringe reviews at Met Radio's SoundCloud page.