The Bunny Hop – For Real: Kate Gould Park Rabbits Become Part Of The Show

CHATHAM – As Birnam Woods advanced toward Dunsinane, a bunny rabbit hopped across the path of the perambulating forest.

The animal’s presence gave a bit of natural verisimilitude to the Cape Cod Shakespeare Festival In Chatham’s recent production of “Macbeth.”

It wasn’t the first time a rabbit contributed to a performance in Kate Gould Park, and will not be the last. There appears to be a whole family of cottontails living in the park, and they’re not shy about showing up in the spotlight.

The rabbits often come out for Friday night Chatham Band concerts in the park, sometimes even joining in during the popular “Bunny Hop” number, during which audience members march around the Whit Tileston Bandstand with a joyful “hop, hop, hop.”

“We’re always a little worried about them,” said Tom Jahnke, the band’s musical director, “but they usually disappear at the march-around because of all the people.”

The rabbits made numerous appearances during this year’s Shakespeare Festival run, sometimes hopping right into the middle of the action in front of the bandstand. During one performance of “Our Town,” a bunny appeared nonplussed as it wandered through the cemetery scene, munching grass and occasionally lifting its head to gaze nonchalantly at the audience.

Festival Artistic Director and Founder Alan Rust said the presence of the rabbits reminded him of “Watership Down,” the novel (and later film) about a group of rabbits seeking a new home after the destruction of their warren.

This summer, Jahnke was joined onstage by a bunny — but not one from the Kate Gould Park colony (the word for a group of rabbits). To help teach kids the “Bunny Hop” and help younger children overcome any intimidation from the large crowds, he is using a rabbit puppet named “Webster the Wabbit.” Webster, he noted, was the first name of longtime band leader Whit Tileston, for whom the bandstand is named.

It’s comforting to know that nature can still thrive in Kate Gould Park, despite its location in the middle of bustling downtown Chatham. The bunnies cause delight whenever they appear, and let’s hope that plans for renovations and upgrades to the park will preserve their warrens, wherever they may be. 

Perhaps it’s time to consider adopting them as the town’s mascot.