February 27- March 17, 2019
Carling-Sorenson Theater, Babson College, Wellesley
Adapted by Naomi Wallace from the novel by William Wharton
Directed by Steven Maler
In a Philadelphia suburb before World War II, Birdy, a very smart young man, spends his time collecting pigeons and canaries for his aviary. His best friend, Al, has more earthly interests like sports and girls, but is attracted to Birdy’s eccentricity, intelligence and commitment to his birds. But after both young men return from the war, they are forced to deal with the trauma of their experiences, both physical and psychological.
Birdy examines the effects of war on young lives, a topic that is just as relevant today as it was decades ago. The story also offers hope in the possibility of powerful friendships to heal the psychological wounds of war after the physical wounds have healed.
Contains adult language and brief nudity.
Wednesday, February 27 at 7:30pm
Thursday, February 28 at 7:30pm
Friday, March 1 at 7:30pm
Saturday, March 2 at 7:30pm
Sunday, March 3 at 3:00pm
Thursday, March 7 at 7:30pm
Friday, March 8 at 7:30pm
Saturday, March 9 at 3:00pm
Saturday, March 9 at 7:30pm
Sunday, March 10 at 3:00pm
Friday, March 15 at 7:30pm
Saturday, March 16 at 7:30pm
Sunday, March 17 at 3pm
Running Time: 2 hours with intermission
By special arrangement with Knight Hall Agency Ltd and Spring Sirkin.
Sponsors
Royal Little Family Foundation, Jann E. Leeming, Senior Trustee
Partners
Arthur Frank
Heni Koenigsberg
The Poduska Family Foundation
Supporters
Elizabeth T. Ayer/Geoff Van Wyck
Robert and Caroline Collings
Nancy Lukitsh
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Needham Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Steven Barkhimer (Dr. White) is a member of the Actors’ Shakespeare Project (Richard III, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Cherry Orchard, Middletown, Twelfth Night, The Winter’s Tale and others), and has recently appeared at Shakespeare & Company (Morning After Grace); Huntington Theatre (Tartuffe); Lyric Stage (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Gypsy and Warrior Class). Author of Windowmen, (Elliot Norton and IRNE Awards) and a collection of music (“Time Was”), he also adapted Sheridan’s School for Scandal for ASP, and provided the libretto for an upcoming opera of Tristram Shandy (music by impresario Martin Pearlman).
Maxim Chumov is excited and honored to play the role of Young Al. A native of Washington State, Maxim has been training and pursuing acting on the East Coast for the past year. Most recently he has been on tour with Chamber Theater’s production of Encore!!! as the narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart”. He has also starred in Spokane Civic Theatre’s award winning production of Orphan’s by Lyle Kessler and also starred in The Modern Theater’s production of A Bright New Boise by Samuel D. Hunter.
Spencer Hamp recently left his home of Seattle, Wa and relocated to Brooklyn, NY. Recent stage work: Alan Strang in Equus (Pittsburgh Public Theater), Trofimov in The Cherry Orchard (ACT Theatre, The Seagull Project), roles in The Winter’s Tale (Seattle Shakespeare Company), the world premiere adaptation of David James Duncan’s The Brothers K (Book-It Rep), and the West Coast premiere of Buzzer (ACT Theatre, West of Lenin). Recent screen work: supporting roles in music videos for Erik Blood (“Chase the Clouds”) and Hunter Lea (“I See Through You”), guest starring in an episode of “Law and Order: SVU,” and appearing in the upcoming international feature film “A Muse”.
Damon Singletary – Commonwealth Shakespeare Company: Birdy. New Repertory Theatre: A Raisin in the Sun. The Huntington Theatre Company: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. Lyric Stage Company: The Drowsy Chaperone, Sister Act, Fabulation, or The Re-Education of Undine, The Wiz, Peter and the Starcatcher, City of Angels. Umbrella Stage Company: Network, The Minutes, The Colored Museum, Head Over Heels, Fences. The Gold Dust Orphans: A Grinchley Christmas Carol, The Ebonic Woman. Greater Boston Stage Company: Miss Holmes. SpeakEasy Stage Company: Shakespeare in Love, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Damon is a proud member of Actors Equity Association.
Will Taylor is a NY based actor, director, choreographer and musician. Broadway credits: A Chorus Line, The Producers, La Cage, and 42nd Street. Other credits: Bent (Mark Taper Forum) TV: “The Good Wife” (CBS), “Partners” (FX), Film: “Sex and the City 2”. Will directed the NY premiere of Chickens In The Yard and created the ongoing dance challenge On 1 Condition (Dixon Place). Will served as movement coach for “Lip Sync Battle” (Spike TV), and choreographed the world premiere of The Legend Of Georgia McBride (Denver Center). Additionally, Will is a singer/songwriter currently working on his debut EP. Graduate of Carnegie Mellon. Instagram @willtaylorartist, www.soundcloud/
Keith White is a New York based actor and singer. Growing up in Georgia and California, Keith always had a passion for all performing, music making, and writing, which led him to seek a higher education at The Boston Conservatory. After touring with the National Tour of Jersey Boys and performing on Broadway in A Bronx Tale, Keith is overjoyed to return to Massachusetts and sink his teeth into this beautiful and layered play. Keith thanks his teachers, family and friends, his agency BRS/GAGE, and everyone involved in bringing this play to life. Dedicated to Papa Chubby. @itsyaboykeithwhite
Alex Griffin is making his CSC debut. Previous credits: Encore (Ichabod Crane), Bedtime Stories (James Barrie), The Great Pie Robbery (Swing), Morning (Alex), Flea In Her Ear (Chandebise/Poche). Graduate of Syracuse University ‘17.
Steven Maler is the Founding Artistic Director of Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC). At CSC he has been directing Free Shakespeare on the Boston Common productions since 1996, including Richard III, Love’s Labour’s Lost, King Lear, Twelfth Night, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Coriolanus, All’s Well That Ends Well, Othello, The Comedy Of Errors, As You Like It, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, Henry V, The Tempest, Julius Caesar, and Romeo & Juliet. Other CSC works include his critically acclaimed production of Naomi Wallace’s adaptation of William Wharton’s novel Birdy, Ariel Dorfman’s Death and the Maiden, the world premiere of Jake Broder’s Our American Hamlet, and the world premiere of Robert Brustein’s The Last Will. In collaboration with Boston Landmarks Orchestra, he directed A Midsummer Night’s Dream, featuring the Overture and Incidental Music of Felix Mendelssohn, as well as concert stagings of The Boys from Syracuse and Kiss Me Kate at Boston’s iconic Hatch Shell. For CSC he has also directed one-night-only readings of iconic plays featuring Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Paul Rudd, Anthony Mackie, Blair Brown, Tony Shalhoub, Brooke Adams, Leslie Uggams, David Morse, and Jeffrey Donovan among others. He conceived and directed Shakespeare at Fenway, an evening of Shakespeare scenes performed at Boston’s iconic Fenway Park, featuring Mike O’Malley, Neal McDonough, Maryann Plunkett, Jay O. Sanders, Kerry O’Malley, Seth Gilliam, Zuzanna Szadkowski, Max Von Essen, Christian Coulson, Jason Butler Harner, and many others.
In collaboration with Google, he adapted and directed a first of its kind sixty minute virtual reality film of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, entitled Hamlet 360: Thy Father’s Spirit, starring Jack Cutmore-Scott, Jay O. Sanders, Brooke Adams, and Faran Tahir. It is currently available for viewing on Boston public media producer GBH’s YouTube channel; for more information, visit www.wgbh.org/hamlet360.
Outside of CSC, he directed Maria, Regina D’Inghilterra for Odyssey Opera, Péter Eötvös’ operatic treatment of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America (U.S. Premiere) and Thomas Adès’ Powder Her Face for Opera Boston, The Turn of the Screw at New Repertory Theatre, Santaland Diaries and Chay Yew’s Porcelain at SpeakEasy Stage Company, Top Girls and Weldon Rising at Coyote Theatre, and The L.A. Plays by Han Ong at A.R.T. His New York City credits include the New York Musical Theatre Festival production of Without You, written by and starring Anthony Rapp. The production has been seen in Boston, Edinburgh, Toronto, London, and Seoul.
He received the prestigious Elliot Norton Award for Sustained Excellence, as well as for Best Production for Twelfth Night and All’s Well That Ends Well; Outstanding Director, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Best Production, SubUrbia; Best Solo Performance, John Kuntz’s Starf***ers (which also won Best Solo Performance Award at New York International Fringe Festival). His feature film “The Autumn Heart,” starring Tyne Daly and Ally Sheedy was in the Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival.
Naomi Wallace is a playwright from Kentucky. Her plays—which have been produced in the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States and the Middle East—include In the Heart of America, Slaughter City, One Flea Spare, The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek, Things of Dry Hours, The Fever Chart: Three Visions of the Middle East, And I and Silence, and The Hard Weather Boating Party. In 2009, One Flea Spare was incorporated into the permanent repertoire of the French National Theater, the Comédie-Française. Only two American playwrights have ever been added to La Comédie’s repertoire in 300 years; the other was Tennessee Williams. Films: “Lawn Dogs”, “The War Boys”, “Flying Blind” (co-written with Bruce Mcleod). Awards: Susan Smith Blackburn Prize (twice), Joseph Kesselring Prize, Fellowship of Southern Writers Drama Award, Obie Award (One Flea Spare) and the 2012 Horton Foote Award for most promising new American play. She is also a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and a National Endowment for the Arts development grant.
Spring Sirkin is a 4 time Tony Award Winning Producer for Master Class, Skylight, A View Form the Bridge, and Hello Dolly. She has produced over 20 productions on Broadway. This spring, she is co-producing Gary, starring Nathan Lane and Andrea Martin. For over 40 years, she has been Producing Director of Chamber Theatre Productions, a National touring theatre company, producing original adaptations of literature, for young audiences. From 1990-1994 she was President and Chairperson of the Elliot Norton Awards where she worked in tandem with Elliot Norton. She was formerly a board member of Celebrity Series, where she helped launch the Classical Ballet Dance Initiative, bringing the great ballet companies of the world to Boston. She was a founding member of the Profile Theatre Company, renamed the Portland Stage, in Portland, Maine. Currently she is on he boards of the Clive Barnes Awards in NYC, and the Boch Center in Boston. Ms. Sirkin is also a member of the Broadway League.
Jeffrey Petersen returns to CSC after designing last season’s Stage2 production of Romeo and Juliet and after assisting Clint Ramos on the recent productions of Birdy and Death and the Maiden. Recent New England design credits include: Maria Regina d’Inghlterra (Odyssey Opera) Mary Stuart, Everyman (NEU) Barefoo
Jeff Adelberg returns to CSC after designing Death and the Maiden and Macbeth last season. Other recent work: Trouble in Tahiti and Arias and Barcarolles (Boston Lyric Opera); Gloria, The Night of the Iguana, As You Like It (The Gamm Theatre, RI); Beckett Women: Ceremonies of Departure (Poets’ Theatre at the MAC Belfast, Northern Ireland); Being Earnest, The Legend of Georgia McBride (Greater Boston Stage Co.); Frankenstein, Constellations (Underground Railway Theatre); The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Hand to God (SpeakEasy Stage Company); Man of La Mancha (New Repertory Theatre); Rhinoceros (Boston Playwrights’ Theatre); Edward II, God’s Ear (Actors’ Shakespeare Project);Finish Line (Boston Theatre Co.); and Boston’s Christmas Revels since 2010. A graduate of the University of Connecticut, Jeff teaches at Boston College and Brandeis University. Member of United Scenic Artists 829. www.jeffadelberg.com
J Hagenbuckle is a freelance sound designer, composer and musician. He has designed and composed for shows On and Off Broadway, for regional theaters including twelve years at Hartford TheaterWorks, thirteen seasons with The Berkshire Theatre Festival, eleven seasons with CSC and for numerous Boston theater companies. He is the first sound designer to receive an Elliot Norton Award, the first to receive an NEA/TCG Designer Grant and the first to receive an MFA in Theatre Arts from Brandeis University. J lives on Cape Cod, plays in two bands and is Artist in Residence at Cape Cod Theatre Company.
Sally Tomasetti is pleased to return to CSC having recently worked on Birdy, Universe Rushing Apart and Birdy. A freelance set and props designer working with Next Generation Theatre Company, Boston Improv, Walpole Children’s Theatre, Uncommon Theatre Company and Needham Explorations. Sally is an artist that specializes in portraits and liturgical art. Each spring and summer Sally’s joy is to teach Theatre and Set design classes, educating the next generation in the wonders of backstage theater.
Martha had a 30-year professional dance career, including touring with and directing Snappy Dance Theater for its 10-year existence. She choreographed Much Ado About Nothing for Commonwealth Shakespeare and has enjoyed choreographing for theater, including Heiner Mueller’s The Battle in Magnitogorsk, Russia. Martha co-owns Upward Spiral Studio in Cambridge and is a Level 2 GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® Master Trainer.
Nile Hawver is a Boston-based actor, musician, photographer, and fight director. Previous work with CSC includes fight consultation for Birdy, Death and the Maiden, fight direction for Our American Hamlet, fight direction for CSC2’s Romeo and Juliet and playing Sebastian (Twelfth Night) on the Common in 2014. As an actor: Once at Speakeasy Stage. Breath and Imagination; (Lyric Stage) ,Man of La Mancha; (New Repertory Theatre), Edward II; (Actors’ Shakespeare Project); Finish Line, (Boston Theater Company); Violet and Mothers and Sons, (Speakeasy Stage); Etherdome, (Huntington Theatre Company), Central Square Theatre, Greater Boston Stage Company, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Ocean State Theatre Company, and more. MFA: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. When he’s offstage, Nile is usually behind a camera, taking photos for actors and theatre companies, including CSC, throughout Boston. Huge thanks to Steve for all of the creative collaborations! www.
Jenna Worden is a producer, director, and stage manager with a passion for storytelling, education, and access to the arts. Favorite CSC credits include Birdy, Universe Rushing Apart, and Our American Hamlet. Additional regional credits include New Rep Theatre, Gloucester Stage Company, Phoenix Theatre, and Childsplay AZ. She collaborates often with Brian O’Donovan and is the director and producer of A Christmas Celtic Sojourn. She earned both her BA in Theatre Studies and BSEd in History from Northern Arizona University and is constantly looking for new ways to teach and be in conversation with the past. Proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Kristen Mazzocchi is an experienced arts educator, director and production manager. She holds a BA in Theatre and Economics from Boston College and a Master’s in Education from Harvard University. Kristen began her career at the Boch Center for the Performing Arts working in their arts education program. She went on to work as Production Manager and Director of Education for Celebrity Series of Boston. Kristen is currently a freelance teaching artist, director and production manager working with many schools and arts organizations in the Boston area. Current and past clients include: New England Conservatory of Music, Improv Asylum, Needham Public Schools and Needham Community Theatre. She also serves as Chair of the Needham Cultural Council.
Rachel Corning returns to CSC for the Stage2 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Since 2016, she has worked in various technical capacities with companies throughout the Boston and North Shore areas. Select credits include Deal Me Out (Boston Playwrights’ Theatre), A Christmas Celtic Sojourn (WGBH), Trayf, Cardboa
Julia Deter is a Boston-based director, choreographer, and teacher, who is delighted to be working on her first project with CSC. Direction and choreography credits include Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Ragtime, A Chorus Line, The Rocky Horror Show, The Producers, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (The Umbrella). Next To Normal (Boston Theater), West Side Story (Turtle Lane Playhouse), Avenue Q (Arts After Hours), Peter and the Starcatcher, Shrek, The Secret Garden, and the UK premiere of See Rock City & Other Destinations.
Stephanie Klapper is overjoyed to continue her collaborations with Commonwealth Shakespeare Company and Steven Maler. Her work is frequently represented on Broadway, Off-Broadway, regionally, internationally, on television and film. She continues her long collaborations with numerous companies such as New York Classical Theatre, Mint Theatre Company, Primary Stages, Masterworks, Resonance Ensemble, Capital Rep, Adirondack Theatre Festival, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Capital Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, American Players Theatre, amongst many others. Recent projects include: Hamlet; The Importance of Being Earnest; Maverick; Actually We’re F…ed; Daniel’s Husband; Final Follies; Days to Come; A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur; The Saintliness of Margery Kemp; Romeo and Juliet; A Letter to Harvey Milk; Final Follies; Red Roses; Green Gold; Hindle Wakes; The Mecca Tales; West Side Story (Philadephia Orchestra); “Epiphany V” (film). Member: Casting Society of America.
Carling-Sorenson Theater
19 College Drive Babson College
231 Forest Street
Babson Park (Wellesley), MA 02457
From the east: Take the Massachusetts Turnpike to Exit 15 (Interstate 95/Route 128). After the tolls, follow signs to Route 95/128 South to Exit 21 (Route 16 Newton/Wellesley) …
From the west: Take the Massachusetts Turnpike to Exit 14 (Interstate 95/Route 128). After the tolls, follow signs to Route 95/128 South to Exit 21 (Route 16 Newton/Wellesley) … From the south: Follow Route 95/128 North to Exit 21 (Route 16 Newton/Wellesley) …
From the north: Follow Route 95/128 South to Exit 21 (Route 16 Newton/Wellesley) …
Then … At end of the off ramp, follow signs for Route 16 West (Washington Street). Continue on Route 16 West for 2 miles through Newton Lower Falls and Wellesley Hills. Turn left onto Forest Street and follow for 1 mile to Babson College; the main entrance is on the right. Turn left onto Map Hill Drive and park in the Trim Parking Lot. The theater is a short walk away, on College Drive.
Trim Parking Lot is the best place to park when attending events at the Sorenson Center for the Arts. As you enter on Forest Street, make a left at the first stop sign unto Map Hill Drive. On your right will be a smaller lot, Hollister Lot. If there is space available, patrons may park there. However, Trim Parking Lot is preferred which will be on the left hand side after you pass the Hollister lot. To walk to the theater, walk back towards the stop sign and make a left at the Hollister building. Continue walking straight past Reynolds Campus Center and the Sorenson Center for the Arts will be the next building.
Handicap parking is available in the Hollister Lot, on Map Hill Drive. We also recommend that patrons with mobility issues be dropped off in front of the theater before your party finds parking in Hollister or Trim lot for your convenience.
You have two options:
1) Take the Framingham/Worcester Commuter rail to Wellesley Hills. From South Station, take the Framingham/Worcester commuter rail to Wellesley Hills. Depending on the time of day, regularly scheduled trains leave South Station at ½ to 2-hour intervals (Monday-Friday), and 1-to 3-hour intervals (Saturday and Sunday). The trip takes approximately 30 minutes. Purchase your ticket in the station. Then, call a taxi from Wellesley Hills. (See Area Taxis, below.)
2) Take the “T.” From South Station, take the MBTA subway Red Line inbound two stops to Park Street. Walk upstairs and take the Green Line outbound Riverside D train to Woodland, the next to last stop on the D line. Allow an hour for the trip. Then, take a taxi from Woodland to Babson. (See Area Taxis, below.)
For complete information about Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) services, including specific maps, schedules, and fares for trains, buses, and subways, please visit the MBTA web site.
Veteran’s Taxi (781) 449-8294 Wellesley Transportation (781) 235-2200 The Babson campus is handicap accessible.
Steven Maler’s intimate, poetic, and beautifully realized Commonwealth Shakespeare Company production of “Birdy’’ underscores what makes this drama so stirring: its illustration that, as with love, there can be a mysterious chemistry to friendship, a force of attraction… Read More
The success of the play and the production rests largely in Wallace and Maler’s ability to artfully suggest the issues of the play. The audience has to accept the unlikely duo bonding in the first place. Jocks generally… Read More
Updated: February 25, 2019
Updated: February 25, 2019
Updated: February 25, 2019
What is the running time of the production?
2 hours with intermission
What ages is the production appropriate for?
Contains adult language and brief nudity. Sensibilities vary from person to person. Parents know their child’s sensibilities and maturity best. If you have specific concerns about content, please contact the box office at 781-239-5880.
Are there accessible performances for patrons with disabilities?
Currently there are no accessible dates for this production. CSC is committed to making theater available for all and we look forward to offering accessible performances in the near future,
Is there handicap seating available?
Yes, there are several locations in the theater to accommodate wheelchairs. Call the box office at the Sorenson Center for the Arts to purchase these locations at 781-239-5880.
Are assisted listening devices available?
Yes, visit the box office for assisted listening devices.
The theater will open for seating roughly a half hour before curtain time. We advise you give yourself plenty of time for parking and walking to the theater.
Where should I park?/How do I get to the theater after parking?
Trim Parking Lot is the best place to park when attending events at the Sorenson Center for the Arts. As you enter on Forest Street, make a left at the first stop sign unto Map Hill Drive. On your right will be a smaller lot, Hollister Lot. If there is space available, patrons may park there. However, Trim Parking Lot is preferred which will be on the left hand side after you pass the Hollister lot. To walk to the theater, walk back towards the stop sign and make a left at the Hollister building. Continue walking straight past Reynolds Campus Center and the Sorenson Center for the Arts will be the next building.
Although there is no food or drink permitted in the theater, food and drink are available for purchase in the Reynolds Campus Center next to the Sorenson Center for the arts.
Are shows delayed or canceled for weather?
Audience and actor safety is our main concern. In cases of heavy snow or extreme weather, we will cancel and try to re-seat patrons into an alternative performance date. Weather updates can be found on the homepage of our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
If I miss the show, what are my options?
To reschedule, call the box office at the Sorenson Center for the Arts at 781-239-5880 at least one business day before your reservation. We will make our best efforts to seat you in another performance. Seating will be based on availability. It is not our policy to refund tickets but we are happy to reseat you on another date. If you miss a production altogether, we will reseat you in an alternative production of your choice based on availability.
The taking of photos or video is strictly prohibited.
How can I support Commonwealth Shakespeare Company?
to make a donation or call 617-426-0863. Click on the Ways To Give tab on our website to learn more about upcoming fundraising events and ways to get involved.