Iga Gańczarczyk, Anna Smolar. THE BIRDS Premiere

Translated into Lithuanian by Ignas BEITSAS and Artur ZAPALOWSKI

„The Birds“, a new work by French-Polish director Anna Smolar (who earlier created „Slow Motion“ at the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre), explores the mechanisms of manipulation and domination in the workplace, and is inspired by the 2016 memoirs of Tippi Hedren, Hollywood actress and star of Alfred Hitchcock's films.

"Find the girl", commanded Hitchcock when he saw Tippi in a TV commercial. An unknown model at the time, he cast her in the iconic roles of Melanie Daniels in The Birds and Margaret Edgar in Marnie. Hitchcock's relationship with Hedren was multifaceted: he became her teacher and mentor, but simultaneously controlled her every step, interfered in her private life, and isolated her from others.

The performance is a subjective reconstruction of the making of the film The Birds. Invoking the figures of threatening and wild animals, the production highlights the dynamics of unsafe relationships made possible by ingrained toxic patterns in our societies and offers a heroine refusing the role of victim.

We are now in a time of a pendulum swing, when the hard won slogan “My Body My Choice” is being contested with "Your Body My Choice", threatening to replace the concept of mutual consent and the basic right of every person to decide about their own body. In the context of this backlash, we tell a story of systemic mobbing, the grey zone and its consequences on mental and physical health, but also of resilience through collective support. Performers on stage all represent multifaceted versions of Tippi – taking turns and challenging our perceptions of who plays the roles of victim and oppressor. They also perform as birds or witnesses, inviting us to drop our binary #metoo perception, which mostly addresses the duo oppressor-victim. Is a witness also culpable? When are we less or more likely to act?

The Birds draw a non-linear story of solitude and solidarity, negotiating with delusional convictions that dreams legitimized violence. What is the cost of this process of emancipation? And what is the grief implied in the refusal of accomplishing again and again an old scenario?

The performance is produced in collaboration with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Poland:

and ESPOO Theatre in Finland: 

Funded by:

Special thanks from creators to Mei Ann Teo for her dramaturgy, English translation and spiritual support