EDINBURGH 2019: AND THE BIRDS DID SING Q&A

BWW catches up with Curious Seed to chat about bringing And The Birds Did Sing to the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tell us a bit about And The Birds Did Sing.

And the Birds Did Sing is inspired by the depth of feeling in those tiny fleeting moments, that we all experience at certain points in our lives, of knowing that the world will never be the same again.

Within this I tell the story of Birdie - Birdie's story is a little like a fairy tale that we see through the eyes of the narrator when she was a child, but (now an adult) she still seems to believe it. I love the idea that by telling the story of Birdie, a woman we're not even sure is real or not, we end up revealing so much more.

What was the inspiration behind it?

The title for And the Birds Did Sing came to me during a challenging but beautiful moment in my life and then wouldn't leave. This was the seed from which everything else around the show has grown.

We didn't start with the intention that the fragments of text, movement and music that we were creating would become one narrative but then visual artist, Yvonne Buskie, joined myself and Luke Sutherland in the studio and the story of Birdie - the woman who the birds sing moments of people's lives to - emerged out of some childhood memories that were stirred as we created together in the studio.

How important is the music to the piece?

It's hugely important to the piece but also for my devising process. I've been collaborating with composer Luke Sutherland (Mogwai, Long Fin Killie, Rev Magnetic) for many years on projects of varied nature and scale. Our work comes from what feels to me like an alchemy between music and movement; we seem to create states from which threads of stories and characters emerge, which we gently weave into the work. It's a very collaborative, layered and responsive process between Luke, Yvonne and myself, which I hope is reflected in the performance despite it becoming a solo!

Who would you recommend comes to see it?

Anyone with an interest in contemporary dance, being merged with new writing and beautiful heart-stirring music.

What is the aim of Curious Seed?

We aim to create and share emotionally charged performances that reach across ages and art forms, and to bring something unique to the dance landscape of Scotland. I feel lucky to collaborate with exceptional artists - musicians, actors, dancers, designers and video makers - in doing so!

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/and-the-birds-did-sing

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