The Magician's Elephant, a stage musical adapted from Kate DiCamillo's children's book, has joined the Music Theatre International catalogue, and is now available for licensing. The work, which premiered in the U.K. at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2021, features music and lyrics by Marc Teitler and a book and lyrics by Nancy Harris.

Set in a town recovering from war, the show follows a young orphan who's told by a mysterious stranger that his missing sister can be found through "the elephant." When a magician makes one such pachyderm appear from the sky, a chain of events is set in motion that changes the town forever.

A U.S. premiere of the work followed the U.K. run at Utah's Hale Center Theatre last year.

“We are delighted that The Magician’s Elephant is going to be available to professional theatres, community theatres, and schools to perform across the world,” says MTI Chief Operations Officer and Director of Education and Development John Prignano in a statement. “It is a truly magical show that will excite and inspire audiences of all ages with its touching story and enchanting music.”

“When I first read The Magician’s Elephant, I was captivated by Peter’s epic quest to find his sister, Baltese’s larger-than-life characters, and a world transformed by the unexpected arrival of an elephant—an extraordinary consequence of a magic trick gone awry," adds Teitler. "Bringing these characters to life meant tackling the thrilling challenge of creating bold, distinct musical themes for each one, then weaving them into a seamless, scored-through tapestry that reveals how deeply their fates are connected.”

“We are so thrilled that our musical adaptation of Kate DiCamillo's beautiful and humane book is going to be available to wider audiences,” says Harris. “It is a powerful story that contains within it a profound love and respect for the animal world, that moved and captured us on a first reading, and that we believe is truly needed at this moment on our planet. We are so excited for new audiences of all ages to discover this new musical version and to meet Peter, Adele, the town of Baltese and of course, the elephant.”

Visit MTIShows.com.