Serenbe’s Brian Clowdus reinvents a childhood favorite

Serenbe Playhouse calls a very unique place, right outside of Atlanta, its proper home. And within this almost other-worldy atmosphere, Brian Clowdus, founder and executive/artistic director of the theatre, found the perfect setting for their newest imaginative production, The Velveteen Rabbit. Below, Clowdus talks still believing in the unbelievable, listening to the land, and how this childhood tale is not just for the tikes.

Q. Serenbe’s production of The Velveteen Rabbit opened last weekend. When choosing the season, what made you choose this take on a childhood classic?

A. When deciding upon our Season of Change, The Velveteen Rabbit was a natural pairing. The idea of becoming real through love and that being the greatest change that a toy or human being can ever experience is a theme I was eager to share with children of all ages. The more we thought about this story the more excitement we started hearing and almost everyone we chatted with gave us the same reaction, “OH! That’s my favorite childhood book!” So we knew we had a story that people wanted to hear and a timeless message that we wanted to reinvent!

Q. Rachel Teagle adapted this story for stage. Are there any new twists to the tale?

A. LOTS! Robyn Young created this orignal concept and then handed it over to Rachel to take and fly with in her writing! First of all the time period and location are completely different. We are using the backdrop of Savannah during the late 1860s post civil war. One of the key relationships is between The Boy Samuel and his Nana, who actually makes him the velveteen rabbit. The boy feels closer to his recent slave Nanny than he does to his own family and that bond and this handmade gift she gives him create the backbone of our adaptation. This setting and time period also evoke the Yellow Fever, different from the Scarlet Fever of the original BUT still allowing for an epidemic. We have also played around with the idea of The Fairy role… giving her a black magic voodoo Savannah flare, but we don’t want to give too much away!

Q. Although a child’s story, Serenbe Playhouse has touted it as a reminder for children of all ages. What artistic choices went into making this play filled with enough depth to please all ages?

A. We actually see just as many adults in our audience as we do children. Rachel’s writing has a level of humor and wit that adults get that might pass over a kid quickly that I compare to a Pixar film. Our production also have a level of sophistication and artistic reinvention that adults enjoy as well with an original soundtrack by Renaldo Fisher and modern choreography by Bubba Carr. It truly is a feast for all the senses and an experience the adults and kids alike can enjoy! I feel strongly that theatre should be evokativ, artistic and original no matter what ages are in our audience. This might be a child’s first play and might be an adult returning to their childhood for an hour… either way the experience should be rich!

Q. This story of a beloved stuffed rabbit becoming real through love requires imagination, suspension of disbelief and a child’s heart that has yet to face the realities of the world. What was it like as an adult director to take on such a magnificently miraculous tale of believing the unbelievable?

A. I am a total kid at heart. I still keep having to remind myself I am not a 10 year old kid making skits in the woods with my imaginary friends and toys! The theatre that I produce in Serenbe requires the imagination. I don’t like giving the audience everything in a neat package but want them to have to imagine and interpret things in their own way… that way no audience member can ever have the same experience. The Velveteen Rabbit is highly stylized and we are dealing with a human and toy world that requires a suspension of disbelief going back and forth between actual toy props and humans playing the toys. The cast is beyond incredible and the way they embody these toys is unbelievable. I have been watching this rehearsal and performance process for over a month and I still hold our prop Velveteen Rabbit with a sense of care, half believing that he comes to life when he is alone. See I am really am still a 10 year old at heart! 

Q. Serenbe – a whimsically natural setting –  is the perfect place to stage The Velveteen Rabbit. How did place influence staging this rendition?

A. The setting is so incredibly integral to the work I do in Serenbe. The scripts and locations are almost chosen hand in hand. The Velveteen Rabbit setting is special. I have been visiting/working in Serenbe for 5 years and this is a spot that I didn’t even knew really existed until a year ago. While walking around and thinking of the idea of The Velveteen Rabbit, I stumbled upon this hidden creek with a single beautiful tree in the middle of it. I got a gut feeling and said this is it, this is where something needs to happen, a story must be told here. We have an incredible winding little creek that separates the audience and playing space and we have this beautiful tree and fern covered bank with levels and in the middle of this is one solitary tree separated from the rest that has been waiting to make her debut. This tree anchors the space and is the 8th character in our production. It truly feels as though you have stepping back over a 150 years ago wading into a hidden creek on the property of a Savannah plantation… it truly is magical!