Hexham residents will get a first look at a children's show next month before it makes its way to London's Sadler's Wells theatre.

The newly adapted production of The Velveteen Rabbit by balletLORENT, designed to entertain babies and toddlers, is coming to Queens Hall in Hexham on Saturday, March 23. ahead of its tour.

A cast of six contemporary dancers will bring alive a nursery through storytelling, music, and dance.

Hexham Courant: The Velveteen RabbitThe Velveteen Rabbit (Image: Luke Waddington)

All the dancers have been trained to work with the very young.

The storyline follows a toy rabbit, growing closer to a young boy through shared adventures in the nursery.

Both discover together the transformative power of love.

Other characters in the show include a horse, tin robot, a cymbal-banging monkey, rag doll, and an astronaut.

The sets and props are tactile, hand-knitted using hundreds of balls of wool by a group of Newcastle women under the guidance of fashion designer Nasir Mazhar.

Hexham Courant: The Velveteen RabbitThe Velveteen Rabbit (Image: Luke Waddington)

The show allows children to explore the set and engage with the performers, involving activities like feeding knitted carrots to rabbits.

The Velveteen Rabbit is a present-day narration of a 102-year-old children's story by Margery Williams, with the first print appearing in 1921.

The experience for children under three is 35 minutes followed by an opportunity to meet, and have photos taken, with the costumed cast.

Older children - four to 10 years - are catered for too, with a longer version of the show.

Liv Lorent, artistic director, balletLORENT, said: "I chose to bring the century-old story of The Velveteen Rabbit to life as it works on two levels, speaking to both children and adults.

Hexham Courant: The Velveteen RabbitThe Velveteen Rabbit (Image: Luke Waddington)

"Ahead of its time, it has strong messages of accepting differences and not getting hung up on a quest for physical perfection.

"As a Newcastle company, we are very excited to perform in Hexham, before heading to London."

The performance for children up to the age of three will take place at 11am and the show for four to 10-year-olds will be at 2pm.

Visit the Queens Hall's website to book tickets, which start at £8.