Man Covets Bird flies to Arts Centre Melbourne

South Australia’s Slingsby Theatre Company is set to return to Arts Centre Melbourne next month with Man Covets Bird. A coming of age tale about flying the nest, birdsong, and growing up, Man Covets Birdcreates an enveloping world of prose and live music, and melancholia and sunshine – and it’s suitable for kids aged 10 and older.

Man Covets Bird
Nathan O’Keefe in Man Covets Bird

One morning, a boy awakens and discovers he’s all grown up. His parents and his town no longer recognise him and he has no choice but to start a new life. His journey takes him to a city full of machines and peculiar people where his only friend is a flightless bird he meets outside his bedroom window. Together, the attempt to brighten the lives of the city folk and learn what it really means to grow up.

Performed by solo actor Nathan O’Keefe and a live musical trio against a set of large-scale projected animations, the staging is inspired by Australian industrial photographer Wolfgang Sievers. Sievers, a refugee from Germany, became the pre-eminent industralia and architectural photographer in Australia, known for his rich black and white compositions.

Man Covets Bird will be part of Arts Centre Melbourne’s year-round Kids and Families program, designed to engage children and their families in the world of performing arts.

For tickets and more information visit artscentremelbourne.com.au

Cassie Tongue

Cassie is a theatre critic and arts writer in Sydney, and was the deputy editor of AussieTheatre. She has written for The Guardian, Time Out Sydney, Daily Review, and BroadwayWorld Australia. She is a voter for the Sydney Theatre Awards.

Cassie Tongue

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