Verity Vonberg: Connecting Through the Arts

By Kelsey Knott Photos By Matt Johnson 

At just 12 years old, Verity Vonberg is taking the local theater and opera scene by storm, performing in Hansel and Gretel, The Hobbit, Brundibar, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and A Christmas Carol. Through Actors Theater, Kentucky Youth Opera, StageOne and Walden Conservatory, Verity has built a strong stage presence as an actor and vocalist. 

But beyond that, she’s developed deep friendships through these programs that carry her through. Verity has faced significant health challenges since birth, namely degenerative musculature problems, gastroparesis, and autism. Recently, due to her progressing neuromuscular disease, her physician team is requiring her to start spending an increased amount of time in a wheelchair, which in no way will slow down her ambition as a performer, as her cast, audience, and family support her wholeheartedly. Morgan Vonberg, Verity’s mother, emphasizes the importance of the relationships she’s made through acting and opera: “There’s a difference between inclusion and belonging somewhere. We want to find places where she belongs and is wanted, not just places that include her. We’re trying to find things she’s passionate about doing and other people who accept her just how she is. Finding that space for her has been our mission as parents.” 

I had the opportunity to talk with Verity, celebrate her talent, and find out what’s next for her as a rising actor. 

KK: Tell me about your start. What first got you into theater? 

VV: When I was five, I was a reader at church, and I would stand up in front of the congregation to read out of the Bible. Later, when I was eight years old, my mom was watching the Tony awards and a girl named Ali Stroker won for best featured actress in Oklahoma. She was in a wheelchair, and I didn’t know you can have a disability and be on stage. I asked my mom if we could do that, and she found the Youth Opera project, a program at Kentucky Opera where children get together and sing opera songs. We’re going to do the Star-Spangled Banner at a Kentucky Bats game soon! 

KK: Who influences and inspires your performances? 

VV: I am inspired by other performers in my shows. They can be like family, working together and mothering me. They hang out, talk to me, and help me, making me feel like I really belong and that they want me there. Other actors and singers understand and don’t judge my disability. Some even think my leg braces are cool. I just really like being with other performers. I think it’s important to make everyone good in the show. 

KK: Why is Actors Theatre and the Louisville acting scene a strong place for young actors starting out? 

VV: They’re all very inclusive. They don’t care that I’m different and make me feel special. They don’t judge me. I feel like I belong on the stage, and people really like the performance. 

I was the smallest child in Hansel and Gretel–I played a gingerbread man and a wisp. The costume designer didn’t judge that I had a colon tube and braces on my legs. My costume didn’t cover them up, and I told them to show some of it because I want people to see me as me, not just as the character. 

Being with other kids my age who support and love me is really cool too. Actors Theatre, StageOne’s Walden Conservatory, and The Kentucky Opera feel like my second home. I enjoy being with people that connect with me and want to be my friend. 

KK: What do you wish more people knew about acting or the theater? 

VV: I wish there were more disabled actors. I want people who are disabled to be inspired to do what they desire–if it’s painting, horseback riding, or whatever inspires them, don’t feel held back. People like me have desires and dreams. My dream right now is to be on Broadway. I can’t dance, but many of my roles don’t include dancing. I want to be the first disabled Elphaba maybe. I hope that when people watch me, they have a new idea of what a character can be like. I was the only girl who played Charlie when I did Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at StageOne Walden Conservatory that year! 

KK: When people see you perform, what do you hope they gain? 

VV: Because of my disability, I feel like I’m more emotional on stage. I can connect to the sad roles, because I know what it’s like to be really sad and sick. I also know how to be super happy when things are good. I hope the audience can feel my feelings, and I hope other kids are inspired by me to be on stage. Maybe they’ve never seen someone with braces and will think they’re cool. 

KK: What can we look forward to seeing you in next? 

VV: I’ll be in the Kentucky Opera’s Robin Hood as Scout, one of the sheriff’s guards, and I have a few solo parts, which is cool. I’ll also be in School of Rock The Musical at StageOne Walden Conservatory this summer.