The Velveteen Rabbit

North Carolina Theatre for Young People - Fall 2014

The lighting design for the play The Velveteen Rabbit drew inspiration from the play’s subtitle: “... or how Toys become Real.” As the story illustrates, toys become real thought the love of a child forged in the world of imagination, and so it became the task of the lighting to draw a sharp contrast between the mundane real world, and the magical world of imagination. It was also important to make a distinction between the world of imagination, and the transformative moment when toys become real.

So what makes up the world of the child’s imagination? For this I found inspiration in the things that might surround a child of this time. Specifically, Tiffany Glass windows and lamps, and the magical way that the mind can transform shadows. In practical terms, this meant that the more powerful the moment of imagination in the play, the more vibrant and unapologetic the use of color (like a child’s coloring book.) Later, as we enter the transformation world, the color remains bold, but the pallet tightens to a more mature and sophisticated pallet.

pg 7/26

The “old” toys check out the new arrival in the mundane wold of the nursery when nobody is around

“Give-away-day” - Imagination at an all-time low

Playing in the Garden - Climing Mt. Kilimanjaro - Imagination at an all-time high!

Playing in the Garden - Running from SNAKES in the Amazon - Imagination at an all-time high!

Playing in the Garden - A Canoe ride through LAVA! - Imagination at an all-time high!

Playing in the Garden - A Sword Fight wit PIRATES! - Imagination at an all-time high!

The Nursery Fairy arrives to Transform the Velveteen Rabbit into a REAL Rabbit

The moment of Ascension/Transformation when the Velveteen Rabbit becomes REAL!