The cast of "Stupid F**king Bird" (photo by Chris Smith)
Quill Theatre’s production of "Stupid F**king Bird," running through Jan. 30 at Richmond Triangle Players, is, as playwright Aaron Posner describes it, “sort of adapted from Chekhov’s 'The Seagull.' " Except funnier. And set in these anguished contemporary times.
Director Jon Kretzu has an established history with the early 20th century Russian playwright, having directed the major works for the Artists Repertory in Portland, Oregon. “No one captures our daily struggle to remain sane charting the course of the human heart as beautifully as Chekhov,” Kretzu says. Posner sent Kretzu his play after its premier production, and "told me to find a theater and direct it.” Thus, he is, with Quill.
Both plays “deal with artists and those who are doomed to love them and try to live with them,” says Kretzu. "It is about life and love and how we laugh only to keep from sobbing, and vice versa.”
Posner’s work breaks theater conventions — the characters know they are in a play, but perhaps not the play you’re watching. The movement and the set design reflect this boundary-crossing to “create a truly immersive world where the play happens everywhere you look and where both the actors and audience can find common ground in a place where neither can hide,” says Kretzu.
The play is part of the 2016 Acts of Faith Theatre Festival, and its powerhouse cast includes David Bridgewater, Katie McCall, Audra Honaker and Jeff Clevenger. $15 to $30. 1300 Altamont Ave. 340-0115 or quilltheatre.org
