The King of All Birds at Summerhall, Former Gent's Locker Room

Award-winning Irish theatremaker, sound designer and composer Martha Knight brings her critically acclaimed one-woman gig-theatre show to Summerhall for its UK premiere. The King of All Birds blends sound, history and imagination to trace humanity's evolving relationship with the sky, drawing on Celtic folklore, Irish history, and the modern world of aeroplanes, satellites, and drones. Inspired by the societal phenomenon of aerial photographs displayed in Irish homes since the 1960s, the piece is performed via voice, musical instrument, and live electronics, with the classic Irish folk song Wild Mountain Thyme as a throughline. Written and performed by Martha Knight, the show is directed by Joy Nesbitt and debuted at the Dublin Fringe Festival in 2023, where it won the George Fitzmaurice Award.