Stage Director

What does it mean to become real? In The Velveteen Rabbit, Verdigris Ensemble returns to the story that began it all: reimagining Margery Williams’ beloved tale as a gentle, magical, and deeply immersive performance for families. Semi-staged with projections and a live actor, this production invites audiences into a world where the voices become landscape, atmosphere, and emotional extension of the story itself. As the Rabbit’s journey unfolds, natural pauses in the narration allow music to bloom, layering feeling, wonder, and playfulness onto each moment, and surrounding the audience in sound that feels alive and responsive.

Directed by Emily Ernst, conceived and conducted by Sam Brukhman, with visuals by Courtney Ware, The Velveteen Rabbit transforms 16 singers into a living environment: shaping the nursery, the seasons, and the inner emotional world of the characters. Created as Verdigris Ensemble’s very first performance and now returning as the final production of Season 9, this work beautifully bridges the past and future as the ensemble approaches its 10th anniversary. With a 60-minute runtime and three performances at Rosewood Center for Family Arts, this is an experience designed especially for families, one that gently reminds us that love doesn’t demand perfection, and that our wear, our scars, and our care for one another are exactly what make us real.

Stage Director

Emily Ernst

Events

Past events

15 - 17 May, 2026

The Velveteen Rabbit · Verdigris Ensemble

About

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