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Despite the undeniable talent of the actors on the Avon Theatre stage, the undisputed star of the Stratford Festival’s visually stunning reimagining of The Neverending Story is designer Bretta Gerecke.

Working closely with acclaimed director Jillian Keiley, lighting designer Leigh Ann Vardy and playwright David S. Craig, Gerecke creates an enthralling world of fantasy through mesmerizing visuals and outlandish puppetry.

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Eschewing a traditional set, particularly during the heroic Atreyu’s journeys through the dying land of Fantastica, Gerecke and Keiley engage the audience’s imagination by creating an entire world through light and character.

The plot itself is simple enough. A 10-year-old boy, Bastian (Jake Runeckles), becomes enthralled by a fantasy novel while hiding from bullies in his school’s attic. The book tells the epic tale of Atreyu (Qasim Khan), a young hero who attempts to save the magical land of Fantastica from being devoured by an evil entity known as The Nothing. As Atreyu wanders the ever-shifting lands of Fantastica, meeting a menagerie of fantastical creatures, Bastian himself becomes more and more a part of the story.