A Black Swan Production Dirty Birds By Hayley McElhinney and Mandy McElhinney at State Theatre Centre of WA

Blurring the lines between truth and fiction, journey through the past, present, real and absurd, as two big-hearted ‘losers’ carve out a place for themselves in a new world.

Sisters, Mary and Martha, must leave their humble abode. Food is scarce, bills haven’t been paid, and nature is giving them an ultimatum. But there’s a problem - they can’t seem to get it together to do what needs to be done. What’s more, they’re not even sure who they are, which is which and where they should go. They search through memories, familiar rituals and endless cups of tea, looking for something that will shake them from their predicament before it’s too late. The creative minds of Australia’s beloved, multi-award winning McElhinney sisters, Mandy (Wakefield, The Glass Menagerie) and Hayley (Mystery Road: Origins, Oil), have conjured up a new Australian work brimming with humour, beauty and sadness. Conceived after twenty years of dreaming and reflecting on their own Irish heritage, Dirty Birds captures our desperate longing for shared identity, and the courage it takes to step out into a hostile world.

CAST Hayley McElhinney and Mandy McElhinney DIRECTOR Kate Champion SET & COSTUME DESIGNER Bruce McKinven LIGHTING DESIGNER Paul Jackson COMPOSER & SOUND DESIGNER Rachael Dease