WEATHERFORD — Butterflies are the symbols of beauty, symbols of freedom, symbols of hope. Now, symbols of remembrance.

The cast and crew of the upcoming Willow Park Dinner Players production of I Never Saw Another Butterfly are leading the way, discovering a way to support the upcoming exhibit at the Houston Holocaust Museum. By preparing an exhibit titled, “The Butterfly Project,” the display will commemorate the 1.5 million innocent children who perished in the Holocaust.

The museum is seeking the public’s assistance toward obtaining 1.5 million handmade, handcrafted butterflies. While the number is staggering, the facility had collected an estimated 400,000 butterflies by summer 2008. The butterflies will eventually comprise a breath-taking exhibition, currently scheduled for Spring 2012, for all to remember.

The story of I Never Saw Another Butterfly is derived from a collection of children’s drawings and poems from the Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942–1944.

More than 12,000 children under the age of 15 passed through the Terezin Concentration Camp between those years. More than 90 percent perished during the Holocaust. The poems and pictures drawn by the young inmates of Terezin highlight and expose the daily misery of these uprooted children, as well as their courage and optimism, their hopes and fears.

According to the museum’s Web site, the butterflies should be no larger than 8 inches by 10 inches. The butterflies may be of any medium the artist chooses, but two-dimensional submissions are preferred. Glitter should not be used in the decorations. Likewise, food products (cereal, macaroni, candy, marshmallows or other perishables) also should not be used. More information can be obtained on the Museum’s Web site, www.hmh.org/minisite/butterfly/index.html.

“We recently discovered this project and our organization is greatly excited to be a part of it,” show director Kim Dobbs said. “When our board learned about it, we knew we wanted to participate in this awesome exhibit. When we described the concept to our cast, they also were excited to be a part of it. We hope the community will also share in our enthusiasm, and participate with an overwhelming response.”

To encourage the participation of local artists and artists-at-heart, Willow Park Dinner Players is offering a discount to its upcoming production. Patrons who bring a handcrafted butterfly will be offered a $3 reduction on their ticket price.

While patrons may bring as many butterflies as they wish for submission to the project, only one discount per person will be honored.

I Never Saw Another Butterfly will be presented in dinner theater format Saturday in the banquet hall at Los Vaqueros West in Willow Park. The evening’s entertainment will begin when the doors open at 6:30 p.m.

A buffet dinner will be served at 7 p.m., and the production is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.

Seating is limited, and advance reservations are recommended. Tickets are available for $25 per adult and $15 per child under age 12 by contacting the Weatherford Stage Performers hotline at (817) 594-5596 or e-mail at WeatherfordStage@ont.com.

Butterflies will also be accepted until April 4, at which time they will be shipped to Houston for inclusion in the exhibit. Butterflies may be mailed to Weatherford Stage Performers at 602 Mikus Road, Weatherford, Texas 76087.

Board President Tim Jarrell comments, “We encourage everyone in the community to join us in this worthy project. The Holocaust is a very important part of our world’s history, one that we should remember so that we never forget the horrific tragedies that can occur when each of us turn a blind eye to wrongs that occur in our world. Every child and adult is encouraged to submit a handcrafted butterfly — school children, senior citizens, youth groups, everyone. What a great way to show to the world that all of Parker County truly cares about its fellow world citizens than participation in this worthy project.”

The show is also the organization’s entry production for the American Association of Community Theatres (AACT) festival competition. The cast will compete in the Texas state competition at the Scott Theatre in Fort Worth March 17-21. Dependent on the outcome of the state competition production, the cast potentially may perform the show in subsequent competition levels.