Just in time for the first robin of spring to make its appearance, a new play at the University of Southern Maine is turning that symbol of hope into an object of fear.
The Department of Theatre held its opening performance of “The Birds” on February 21 at Russell Hall in Gorham. The play opens with humanity on the brink of extinction. For some unknown reason, all birds have turned into killing machines. Anyone who steps outside risks being dived bombed and pecked to death.
The idea originated in 1952 as a short story by Daphne du Maurier. The isolated attacks of her narrative weren’t enough for film director Alfred Hitchcock. In his 1963 movie adaptation, the threat is constant, brutal, and fully in view of the camera.
The play takes a more intimate approach. The script by Conor McPherson only includes four roles with no scene breaks and no set changes. The action takes place entirely inside a dilapidated house where a few survivors have taken shelter.
“The birds are never seen. They’re only heard and felt,” said the show’s director, Liz Carlson. “It really puts that human element at the center of the story. We constantly sense the birds, but we really focus on the people and how it affects them and what happens at the end of the world when you’re locked in a house with two other people.”
Carlson wanted the audience to feel the same sense of claustrophobia as the characters. She instructed the crew to arrange 40 seats at the edge of the stage, then walled them in with the actors. The limited seating meant fewer ticket sales in exchange for a big emotional payoff.
With no separation from the stage, there is no safety for the audience. Their seats vibrate any time a bird hits the walls. And they’re just as vulnerable to the cast. Every panicked glance or quivering lip is clearly visible from just an arm’s length away.
But the closeness cuts both ways. Ellie Backman, a sophomore majoring in Theatre, knows any flaw in her performance will also be magnified. So as not to be distracted by the audience’s reactions, her plan is to elevate her gaze just high enough to avoid eye contact.
“You have a bunch of scary birds around you and there’s a lot of audience members around you,” said Backman. “That’s kind of scary in its own way.”
Backman embraces her nervousness in her role as Julia. She grows more paranoid through the play as her housemates (portrayed by Emma Graffam and Lucious Fox) begin to ask questions about her past that she’d rather not answer.
Their suspicions are raised by the arrival of Tierney. He visits from a neighboring farm with an armful of supplies and a troubling connection to Julia. The role is played by Garrett Lynn, a senior in the Theatre program.
A restless audience doesn’t rattle Lynn. Each wince and squirm send him a message that he is succeeding in his job to creep them out. But Lynn isn’t completely unflappable.
“I drive in every day from South Portland, and I see swirls of birds overhead and I’m, like, ‘Is it happening? Is it happening today?’ Who knows?” Lynn said.
Adding to the eeriness for several cast members is a sense of déjà vu. “The Birds” is their second apocalypse under Carlson’s direction. Last spring, they faced down an alien invasion in “The War of the Worlds.” A year later, they’re once again searching the skies for signs of danger.
“There is something about getting to the center of who you are when everything else falls apart. There’s something really interesting and fun about that,” Carlson said. “Send me your apocalypse plays. I will do them all!”
“The Birds” will continue to wreak havoc for several more shows, concluding on Sunday, March 2. Tickets are available on the Theatre Department website, by calling 207-780-5151, or in person at the Russell Hall box office.