Stage Door News
Stage Door News
STUPID FUCKING BIRD (or STUPID F**KING BIRD, if you can’t bear the harsh reality of it all) is a sort of adaptation by Aaron Posner from Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull. Produced by The Bird Collective and directed by Vinetta Strombergs, the play will be performed February 28 to March 19, 2017 at a new temporary venue simply called Pop-Up Theatre, located at 270 King Street West, in the heart of Toronto’s Entertainment District.
About the Play
Aaron Posner’s critically acclaimed work was originally produced by the legendary theatre group Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co. in Washington, DC, in May 2013, where it won the Helen Hayes Award for best new play. It has subsequently been produced all over the U.S. to rave reviews and sold out houses, including Off-Broadway. This is the play's much anticipated Canadian premiere.
This irreverent update is a completely fresh version of Chekhov’s masterpiece, looking at unrequited love and emotional misery in a wickedly funny, heart-breaking, truthful, angst-ridden, meta-theatrical way. It’s not just a new translation or adaptation of a period piece but a sharply drawn contemporary investigation of those iconic characters, their needs and wants and realities.
It’s a comedy for those who think and a tragedy for those who feel — sort of.
"The expletive smack in the middle of the title of Aaron Posner’s 'sort of' adaptation of The Seagull is not there for decoration, or even provocation. It is wholly emblematic of Mr. Posner’s raw, theatrically audacious version of this Chekhov classic."
The original 1896 production of The Seagull in St. Petersburg, Russia, was a resounding failure because it heralded a form of dramatic writing (this was Chekhov’s first produced full-length play) that was the antithesis of the standard melodrama, with its overblown emotions and acting, popular at the time. It wasn’t until Konstantin Stanislavsky re-staged the play in 1898 at his Moscow Arts Theatre in a new production that highlighted naturalism and ensemble acting, that The Seagull’s potential was realized.
The Company
Just as the Moscow Arts Theatre production relied on ensemble acting, so will this production of STUPID FUCKING BIRD. Director Vinetta Strombergs has assembled a sterling cast: Rachel Cairns, Richard Greenblatt, Brendan Hobin, Karen Knox, Craig Lauzon, Daniel Maslany and Sarah Orenstein.
Set and lighting design is by Steve Lucas, and costumes by Christine Urquhart.
Production originally scheduled to play at now-shuttered Storefront Theatre
This production of STUPID FUCKING BIRD was originally programmed to play on the exact same dates at the now-shuttered Storefront Theatre at Bloor and Delaware. The Bird Collective was devastated when they were told of the sudden closure of this space. They truly thought their dream of bringing Aaron Posner’s script to Toronto was, like the bird in The Seagull, dead. Then they discovered the empty storefront at 270 King Street West; thus they have been able to turn the dead seagull into a reborn phoenix — to have STUPID FUCKING BIRD rise from the ashes. Well, sort of.
The Bird Collective presents STUPID FUCKING BIRD
by Aaron Posner
February 28 to March 19, 2017
Performance Schedule:
February 28 to March 5
Previews - Tues. Feb. 28 and Wed. March 1 8PM (Tickets $20)
Media Opening - Thu. March 2 8PM (by invitation only)
Regular Performances Fri. & Sat. 8PM; Sun. 2PM & 7PM (Tickets $25)
March 7 to 12
Wed. to Sat. 8PM; Sun. 2PM & 7PM (Tickets $30)
March 14 to 19
Wed. to Sat. at 8PM; Sun. 2PM & 7PM (Tickets $35)
Running Time:
2 hours 20 minutes (includes intermission)
Recommended for ages 16+. Contains mature language and content (surprise!), brief nudity, loaded guns and theatre people. Children under 12 are not permitted.
General Admission: Seats are not assigned or reserved, and are occupied on a first-come, first-served basis.
Pop-up Theatre
270 King Street West, corner Duncan
(Formerly Golf Town, formerly formerly Ed’s Warehouse Restaurant)
For tickets ($20 to $35) www.sfbird.com or by phone 416-872-1212 or 1-800-461-3333
Tickets also available for sale in person at theatre box office 90 minutes before show time. Tickets bought at the box office are $5 more than tickets bought online or by phone.
2017-01-25
Toronto: The Bird Collective presents the Canadian premiere of "Stupid F*cking Bird" February 28