A toe-tapping tale about art, courage, and finding your place in the world.
Based on Leo Lionni’s beloved Caldecott Honor book, Frederick is a heartwarming musical that celebrates the power of imagination and the beauty of being yourself.
While the other field mice are busy gathering seeds and grain for the winter, Frederick quietly collects something different—sunlight, colors, and words. When the cold season arrives and the food runs low, it’s Frederick’s stories and poems that feed the spirit of the community, reminding everyone that there’s more than one way to be useful, and more than one kind of gift worth sharing.
This joyful, music-filled tale invites audiences of all ages to embrace their unique gifts and find their place in the sun.
The play is one hour and fifteen minutes, plus a fifteen-minute intermission.
SPECIAL COMMUNITY EVENTS *Free with your ticket to the show! Special Thanks to our community partners!
Pajama Story Time with Frederick & other Leo Lionni Stories - featuring Zion Glenn, our Frederick!
December 2 at 5:30 pm AT the Peachtree Library Branch *Wear your PJs!
Instrument "Petting Zoo" with ZTunes Music!
Stay after or come early to shows on our first two Saturday and Sundays - to get to know some common Bluegrass instruments! Instructors from ZTunes Music will be there to let kiddos hear, touch, and try the instruments.
Saturday 12/6 - 3-3:50pm (between shows)
Sunday 12/7 - 4-4:50pm (between shows)
Saturday 12/13 - 3-3:50pm (between shows)
Sunday 12/14 - 4-4:50pm (between shows)
Frederick card-making and torn paper activity with Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)!
Stay after or come early to shows on Saturday, 12/20 and make a craft with the MODA instructors - to take home!
Saturday 12/20 - 3-4pm
MODA Story Hour with Leo Lionni's children books
Color of His Own and Frederick on December 18th, 5:30pm AT the Peachtree branch of the library
MEET THE AUTHOR
From the 1930s through the 1990s, Leo Lionni built a celebrated career as an artist, designer, and children’s book author. Born in Italy, he first gained recognition as a Futurist and avant-garde painter before moving to the U.S. in 1939, where he became a leading figure in advertising, collaborating with artists like Andy Warhol, Alexander Calder, and Willem de Kooning. As art director for Fortune (1948–1960) and design director for Olivetti, he shaped some of the era’s most iconic visual work.
In 1960, Lionni returned to Italy and began creating beloved children’s books, authoring and illustrating over 40 titles, including four Caldecott Honor winners—Inch by Inch, Swimmy, Frederick, and Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse. A recipient of the AIGA Gold Medal and numerous international awards, Lionni also taught at institutions around the world and exhibited his art internationally. He continued to paint, sculpt, and photograph until his death in 1999.
Cast + Crew
Morgan Crumbly
Baby
Zion Glenn
Frederick
Rika Ling
Nellie
Bryan Montemayor
Ernest
Anna Snider
Sunny
Jude Hilton
SWING: Frederick
Eden Mew
SWING: Nellie
Hannah Morrison
SWING: Sunny
Cameron Smith
SWING: Ernest
Ja'Siah Young
SWING: Baby
Secona Boncore
Props Designer
Ricky Greenwell
Costume Designer
Donovan Lewis
Sound Designer
Maliya McCall
Lighting Designer
Derrick Vanmeter
Scenic Designer