ABOUT OUR CURRENT SEASON
THE FIREBIRD PROJECT 2024
YEAR OF THE BARD
“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more.” The works of Shakespeare have enjoyed a hallowed place in the global canon for half a millenia, coloring our storytelling culture with their themes, quotes, and conventions. How has their influence dictated our ideas about performance, about what a story looks like, about which stories are worth telling?
Year of the Bard is a celebration of Shakespearean marginalia. This year, we highlight works that examine the fringes of the Shakespearean canon, from the plights of secondary characters to the oft-forgotten players who originated English theatre’s most iconic roles. Our guiding myth this year is that of the Bard; a myth that has outgrown the man who spawned it. We examine the mark Shakespeare’s legacy left forever burned onto our theater and literature, and the spark of life within these old texts that, even now, keeps us coming back to the stage.
BOY MY GREATNESS
written & directed By Zoe senese-grossberg
What happened to the boys who played Shakespeare's women? At the Globe Theater in the summer of 1606, six boy players warm up, run lines, gossip, and fall in and out of love all in between rehearsals for the premieres of Antony and Cleopatra and Twelfth Night. As the plague and rising religious conservatism threaten their way of life, they are all forced to reconsider their futures on the stage. A play about growing up, gender, and a chapter of theater history we seek to forget.
Boy My Greatness performed at the Hudson Guild Theatre, NYC – March 8-16 2024.
The show has an upcoming encore tour Sep 12-29, in West Shokan, NY; Upper West Side, NYC; Nyack, NY; and Easthampton, MA.
NURSE!
By ayun halliday, directed by spencer kayden
Juliet's Nurse hits the road to share her eyewitness observations and correct the record regarding "the greatest love story ever told.” Inspired by actress / Brooklyn Theater fire survivor Kate Claxton's historic lecture tour, a comic meditation on aging, teenagers, love, death, and the human comedy by Ayun Halliday.
Nurse! toured offbeat venues throughout NYC, including the Episcopal Actors Guild Hall, The New York Society Library, The Bechdel Project, and Quimby’s Bookstore, from June 15-23, 2024.
IF I LIVE UNTIL I BE A MAN
Created by rae bell, sophie falvey, and zoe senese-grossberg
1483: The young princes Edward and Richard are taken to the Tower of London by their uncle Richard in preparation for Edward’s coronation. By the end of the summer, Richard III is crowned and the boys are never seen again. A comedic, playfully anachronistic, unsettling exploration of childhood during perpetual war, this play traces the 15th century through modern America, imagining the princes' final months as they fight, play, and await coronation or execution.
if i live until i be a man had a sold out preview run at the Brick Studio at the Chain Theatre, July 18-19, 2024.
The show then premiered at Edinburgh Fringe 2024, at theSpace on the Mile, Aug 12–Aug 24, 2024.
It then returned to the US with 4-star reviews from Edinburgh, to run at The Tank NYC, Sep 14-21, 2024.
MUCH ADO
A Collaboration of Cantate Chamber Singers & The Firebird Project
Music Directed by Victoria Gau, Stage Directed by Zoe Senese-Grossberg
Cantate Chamber Singers partners with The Firebird Project for an exploration of Shakespeare’s works through word and song. This unforgettable evening weaves together choral settings by Ralph Vaughan Williams, John Rutter, Emma Lou Diemer, and more with dynamic dramatic interpretations of scenes from the canon staged by playwright/director Zoe Senese-Grossberg. Join the performers after the concert for a reception celebrating the opening of our 40th anniversary season!
Much Ado performed Oct 27, 2024 at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rockville, Maryland
RUFF DRAFT IMPROVISED SHAKESPEARE
Class showcase by the firebird fledglings
Directed by Leo Lion
The Fledglings, Firebird’s teen improv team, present their latest feat of spontaneous storytelling: Every show features two original longform stories in an Elizabethan style, complete with poetry, asides, soliloquies, romance, political intrigue, misunderstandings, disguises, murder, and more!
Ruff Draft performed Dec 7 & 8, 2024 at The Chain Studio Theatre, NYC.