Birdcage Thursdays
available on AustralianPlays.org
Here's some reviews of the work: http://www.planetartsmelb.com/125843 http://www.theatrepeople.com.au/birdcage-thursdays/ http://syn.org.au/review-birdcage-thursdays The team: Written by Sandra Fiona Long, Directed by Caitlin Dullard, Performed by Genevieve Picot, Sophia Constantine and Sandra Fiona Long. Sound design by Raya Slavin, Set design by Joanne Mott. Research and community development Louise Merrett. Supported by The Big West Festival’s NEWEST program with funding from Australia Council Theatre Board and the Helen McPherson Trust, For the Crowded House, Creative Victoria, Helen McPherson Smith Trust, The Potato Shed, La Mama and the City of Greater Geelong |
Sophia Constantine and Genevieve Picot in Birdcage Thursdays. Photo by Carla Gottgens
In the shell of a house, belongings pile up, as an ageing mother resists her daughter every step of the countdown towards an important inspection. Birdcage Thursdays is an eye opening work about an adult daughter caught between trying to save her mother from potential homelessness, bureaucracy and services. Performed in the round to a rhythm of telephone calls, bird calls, lawn bowls and dance moves, big questions are asked about trauma, attachment, negotiation and consent. Her script is wonderful, a well-paced and managed story as familiar as it felt original. This was not a play about hoarding, but a play about the characters, and we cared. Planet Arts The laughter that often erupted was not derisive or condescending but the laughter of recognition, shared experiences of bowls club politics or thrice-weekly exercise regimes created a sense of authenticity in the piece and brought the audience and the characters together. Theatre People In November 2015, Birdcage Thursdays premiered in the Big West Festival, then during 2017 and fortyfivedownstairs in Melbourne and toured Victoria with La Mama Mobile |