Theatre South East

Birdsong is adapted by Rachel Wagstaff from a novel by Sebastian Faulks. It opened at the Fairfield Hall Croydon on 4 February and now is on a nationwide tour.

BIRDSONG tells a mesmerising story of love and courage, before and during the war. In pre-war France, a young Englishman, Stephen Wraysford, embarks on a passionate and dangerous affair with the beautiful Isabelle Azaire that turns their worlds upside down. As the war breaks out, Stephen must lead his men through the carnage of the Battle of the Somme and through the sprawling tunnels that lie deep underground. Faced with the unprecedented horror of the war, Stephen clings to the memory of Isabelle and the idyll of his former life as his world explodes around him.

Peter Duncan (The Card and TV’s Blue Peter & Tumble) returns to BIRDSONG as Jack Firebrace, having played the role in the 2014 tour. He is joined by  Edmund Wiseman, (Richard II, The Duchess of Malfi), and Emily Bowker, (A Bunch of Amateurs, What the Women Did) who play the romantic leads of Stephen Wraysford and Isabelle Azaire.

The 2013 and 2014 tours were hugely successful and critically acclaimed, seen by over 130,000 people and receiving 4- and 5-star reviews, with audiences calling the show ‘simply stunning’.

“Both Rachel and I want this to be the definitive version of Birdsong on stage. The audience watch it and think, thank God I have never undergone all of this. These experiences are far outside the lives of most people but there is something about the way the production works which makes people identify and think, it could be me…” Sebastian Faulks

 

Official Website – Birdsong

View the Official Birdsong Trailer Here.

Social Media – Birdsong

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Production Shots from Birdsong

Cast

Jack Firebrace – Peter Duncan.
Stephen Wraysford – Edmund Wiseman.
Isabelle Azaire – Emily Bowker.
Tipper – Max Bowen (interview here)

Emily Altneu, Selma Brook, James Findlay, Roger Martin, Liam McCormick, James Staddon, Cloudia Swann and Alastair Whatley.

Creatives

adapted by Rachel Wagstaff.
novel by Sebastian Faulks.
directed by Alastair Whatley.
set design by Victoria Spearing.
lighting by Alex Wardle for Charcoalblue.
sound by Dom Bilkey.

BIRDSONG is produced on tour by Alastair Whatley for The Original Theatre Company and Anne-Marie Woodley and Jon Woodley for Birdsong Productions Ltd.

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Booking Information – Birdsong

Birdsong is suitable for ages 12+.

2015 TOUR SCHEDULE

4 – 7 February	CROYDON Fairfield Halls	020 8688 9291
10 – 14 February	ABERDEEN His Majesty’s Theatre	01224 641122
17 – 21 February	BUXTON Opera House	0845 127 2190
23 – 28 February	NEWCASTLE Northern Stage	0191 230 5151
3 – 7 March	READING The Hexagon	0118 960 6060
10 – 14 March	DARLINGTON Civic Theatre	01325 486555
16 – 21 March	GUILDFORD Yvonne Arnaud	01483 440000
24 – 28 March	POOLE The Lighthouse	0844 4068666
13 – 18 April	LIVERPOOL The Playhouse	0151 709 4776
21 – 25 April	EDINBURGH King’s Theatre	0131 529 6000
27 April – 9 May	BRISTOL Old Vic	0117 987 7877
12 – 23 May	LEEDS West Yorkshire Playhouse	0113 213 7700
1 – 5 June	PORTSMOUTH Kings Theatre	023 9282 8282
8 – 13 June	HEREFORD Courtyard Theatre	01432 340555
16 – 20 June	CREWE Lyceum	01270 368 242
22 – 27 June	SHREWSBURY Theatre Severn	01743 281281
29 June – 4 July	RICHMOND Richmond Theatre	0844 871 7651