Previews: LOVE BIRD at The Off-Central Players

Tonight through April 19, the Off-Central Players in St. Petersburg invite audiences to embark on a whimsical and poignant journey with the debut of K. T. Peterson’s Love Bird. Directed by Ami Sallee, the play takes audiences to a unique trash island, blending humor, vulnerability, and themes of belonging in a world where birds are not quite birds.

"So Roxanne (Faye) brought it to me, and I fell in love with it right away. It's right up my alley. The story it tells I think is worth telling," says Sallee. "It has that left-of-center idea of reality. It takes place in a world that doesn't really exist but absolutely exists. And so we get to make up our world—our trash island. It is about the purest definition of love and belonging."

Love Bird follows Nigel, a character isolated on a desolate island. His solitude is interrupted by Norman, a visitor seeking companionship, leading to a journey that blends quirky birdlike mannerisms and emotional depth. This exploration of loneliness, queerness, and love resonates deeply as Nigel and Norman search for their place in the world.

Sallee delves into how she guided the actors to balance the characters' birdlike qualities while maintaining their humanity.

"They’re birds, but they’re not birds. They’re birds, but they’re not," she explains. "So we have danced the fine line between representing Nigel and Norman, who were based on real-life birds. You won't see squawking and feathers on stage. I have milked every ounce of natural mannerisms from both my actors that feels birdlike. So at first we just dressed like humans. And then that wasn't enough. Because they would say things like 'you know, when I was a fledgling…' and if the audience doesn't understand that they’re birds, but they’re not birds, we did a little stylized with the costumes. Again, they don't necessarily look like birds, but they are a step away from human and then with the mannerisms and the dialogue, now it all meshes."

The set design takes a minimalistic yet creative approach to the strange island setting, utilizing recycled and upcycled materials for an environmental and artistic touch. "One of the things we tried with this production was to use recycled and upcycled materials, so we did not make trash to look like trash," Sallee shares. "We actually went trash surfing and I did a lot of the cleaning and bleaching in the backyard to make sure that it's still sanitary. But we visited a couple of marinas and got some old rope, buoys, and things like that. We do recycled material designed all the time. As sweep week for Tampa trash came up, we set aside a pile of potential pieces."

The chaotic forces on the island are brought to life through puppetry and physical storytelling. "We have titled the position the ninja because she's just sort of everything, but her character name is the island," Sallee explains. "So Annalise Drab is our ASM who is puppeteering the metaphysical things that are happening as well as the storm that, that debris that flies, the things that wash ashore, and the island can be blown apart."

Themes of loneliness and the need for connection are central to the narrative.

"So, being alone and being lonely are two separate things," Sallee reflects. "Nigel, I think is alone in that he has taken himself to an island and Norman is lonely among people, and has come to the island to find company when you see yourself in someone else—soulmates. Being alone and being lonely is one aspect of it. And then we talked about the idea of belonging. And so you can be alone and happy to be alone, but still want to belong. You can be lonely and be a part of something and not feel like you belong. And so it really is about finding your person or people who get you."

Sallee’s excitement for the creative process is palpable as she reflects on working with her talented team. "It has been an absolute joy making this aesthetic come true with Alan Money, who is doing scenic with me, and Michael Horn, who is doing the lights and sound and is also a fantastic prop maker. He's contributed in that way, and we have just created an absolute collage that, to me, fits all together. It's just been a real joy to work with the technical team as well."

The play’s debut promises an experience filled with humor, emotional depth, and a striking visual aesthetic that invites audiences to reflect on the nature of connection. "I think that we are all guided by a need to find our tribe, our flock," says Ami Sallee. "I think Kurt Vonnegut called it karass. The idea is that there is a group of people who are cosmically linked, even if they are unaware of it, and are believed to be working together to fulfill God's will. This tug pulls us to new adventures, and I think that's a really good piece of inspirational advice."

Love Bird runs April 10-19 at Off-Central,  2260 1st Avenue South, Saint Petersburg. For tickets and more information, visit https://theoffcentral.com/