Julie Atherton to Star In New British Comedy Musical Workshop BIRD BRIGADE

Born out of last year's COVID-19 lockdowns, Bird Brigade by Royal Academy of Music alumni Lara de Belder & Luka Antony Bjelis will make its workshop debut later this summer at the Union Theatre starring Julie Atherton as comic villain, 'Big Bird' Judy.

Bird Brigade revolves around a fictitious summer camp in the Peak District, inspired by youth groups in Britain such as The Scouts with plenty of tongue-in-cheek humour. Three young misfits get sent to 'Camp Blue Tit' against their will, in the hope of learning important social and life skills.

The camp is led by 'Big Bird' Judy, a middle-aged Northern bolshy lass and her Number Two, James. When Judy fails to be recognised as a notable leader within the Bird Brigade Association, she vows to change things for the better by adopting some new leadership methods inspired by dictators of the past. But how far will she go?

With material heavily inspired by comic legends such as Victoria Wood, Tim Minchin and French & Saunders and shows such as Avenue Q, Acorn Antiques and SIX, Bird Brigade was long-listed for the Stiles & Drewe Mentorship Award 2021 and the creators look forward to continuing its journey from page to stage.

a??a??"We wanted to write a show that would provide a refreshing tonic of humour to lighten the mood and give everyone a good giggle. It started as a musical parody of British youth groups like The Scouts and went from there...after a few months of Zoom writing sessions the world of Camp Blue Tit seemed to be fully hatching!"

- Lara de Belder & Luka Antony Bjelis

As a new London-based writing team both originally from the Northeast of England, Lara and Luka are passionate to see shows that continue to challenge traditional theatre norms by celebrating more regional diversity, more female and mature roles as well as non-binary characters and actors.

Bird Brigade uses music and humour to comment on generational and social differences that exist in Britain today with a message of working together at its core, making it accessible to both younger and older audiences.

This special industry presentation of the show will be Directed by Karen Rabinowitz with Musical Direction and Orchestrations by George Strickland.

For more information and updates follow @birdbrigademusical