‘Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale’ speaks to children

When Tia Shearer was cast as Trixie in “Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale,” she was well acquainted with the book.

“I lived in Park Slope (in New York City), where Knuffle Bunny is set. I worked in Barnes & Nobel in the children’s section,” she said.

After shows, Shearer enjoys greeting people in the lobby of the theater.

“Kids will bring their stuffed Knuffle Bunny,” she said.

When Trixie loses her bunny on stage, she turns to the audience and the little kids hold up their bunnies. Though she has to stay in character, she likes to see that. “The actor me is smiling,” she said.

Trixie is 16 months old in the play.

“So much of my communication is physical and sound-based,” she said. “It’s giggles and squeal-based.”

She said the script is written with about 40 words of gibberish. The strange thing is, the kids in the audience seem to understand the gibberish.

“Afterward, they talk about moments and things and it’s incredible,” she said.

To prepare for the role, she studied home videos of her friend’s child.

“We’ve started to notice babies more,” she said. “We notice how they move. It’s really fascinating.”

The story behind the show

The word knuffle is Dutch and means cuddle. The ‘k’ is pronounced.

Shearer and the company had dinner with author Mo Willems at his home where she got to meet the real-life Trixie who is now 9 years old.

When the company performed in the Willems’ home town, some of Trixie’s classmates were in the audience.

“All of a sudden, she became a celebrity,” Shearer said. “It made her a little bit shy.”

This story was originally published October 20, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "‘Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale’ speaks to children."