Eco Drama are delighted to be retouring our production The Whirlybird, with a tour reaching nurseries, schools, theatres and community venues in Glasgow and across Scotland in October and November!
We chatted to some of the creative team, including those involved in the original 2019 production about the process of devising the show, which took place in collaboration with Platform arts centre and with funding from Creative Scotland.
Emily Reid is Eco Drama’s Artistic Director and the Director and Co-Deviser for The Whirlybird. Here she tells us a little bit more about her time bringing the Whirlybird to life.
Q: Tell us about your job and what you like about it?
My job was to direct and co-devise the production and keep the process running smoothly from start to finish. I brought in the initial ideas and stimulus to drive the development and direction of the piece, and set up a collaborative environment for each member of the creative team to input into the process. The idea for The Whirlybird had been in my head for about 5 years, and so getting to finally realise the vision felt really exciting. I really enjoyed working alongside such a talented creative team, which for this production includes actor/devisor Caroline Mathison, dancer/devisor Beth Kovarik, composer Greg Sinclair and set designer Claire Halleran. I’m constantly in awe of their talents and this inspires me every day! I’m delighted that Caroline and Beth are joining us again for the 2023 tour.
Q: What is the best bit about being the director/devisor for The Whirlybird?
This was the first time Eco Drama had worked with a composer on one of our productions. I really enjoyed seeing the characters and action come to life with a musical underscore. It is also the first production we created completely without text, instead telling the tale through music, movement, puppetry, bird song, and a little bit of bird language.
Q: What unexpected thing did you learn about birds as part of the process?
I’m amazed by the vast display of sounds that birds make. Bird watching is exciting, but bird ‘listening’ opens up a whole other world!
Q: What do you think people will like most about The Whirlybird?
The music, characters, and all of the things that spin!
Greg Sinclair is a composer and cellist. He wrote the music for The Whirlybird and played cello for the show’s soundtrack.
Q: Tell us about your job and what you like about it?
I am a freelance composer, cellist and performance artist so my job is pretty varied. Sometimes I work with other companies such as Eco Drama to compose music for their theatre productions. Other times I perform in other companies work. I also make my own performance work.
Q: What was the best bit about creating the score for The Whirlybird?
The music feels quite important. As the two characters don’t speak (well not in English) the music feels like it really helps to convert the story and the emotions. I’ve really enjoyed finding inspiration in birdsongs.
Q: What unexpected thing did you learn about birds ?
Every single bird species is so unique and fascinating. And last week I saw a woodpecker in the park near my house! I’ve definitely become more aware of watching and listening to birds since starting work on The Whirlybird.
Q: What do you think people will like most about The Whirlybird?
It is very funny. And I think that humour will work really well to pull people into the fact that the story has a lot of heart. I think people will enjoy seeing a story which celebrates difference and uniqueness.
Claire Halleran is a leading Set and Costume Designer, and she designed the beautiful bird house set, bird costumes and puppets in the show.
Q: Tell us about your job and what you like about it?
My job is to make the set of the show look good and help tell our story by putting all the right things in it for the characters to use while they tell the story. Every day is different and interesting.
Q: What was the best bit about creating the set and costumes for The Whirlybird?
It is fun and watching the characters come to life is great.
Q: What unexpected thing did you learn about birds since starting the process?
How many different birds exist and how different they all look and sound.
Q: What do you think people will like most about The Whirlybird?
The songs and the bird dance.
Caroline Mathison is a Performer and Co-Devisor in The Whirlybird production and plays the title role!
Q: Tell us about your job and what you like about it?
I love the freedom, variety, and creativity of being a performer. But I particularly love this kind of work which connects with young audiences through a shared sense of fun and wonder and can spark imagination and ideas.
Q: What is the best bit about your role in The Whirlybird?
It’s really fun and challenging to create a totally unique bird with its own quirky characteristics. The Whirlybird is also quite silly, and I love silliness!
Q: What unexpected thing have you learned about birds since starting the process?
How playful and full of personality they are. I recently saw a clip of a crow using a food lid to sledge, and it reminded me of a camping trip when we could clearly hear a bird repeatedly sliding down the roof of the tent while we were inside. We didn’t understand what it was doing at the time but now I realise it was just having fun!
Q: What do you think people will like most about The Whirlybird?
I think people will enjoy how funny and delightful it is, with its visual and musical style. I hope audiences feel like they get to know Bird and Whirlybird, and their place in the fascinating world of birds and wonderful nature as a whole.
Beth Kovarik is an Actor , Dancer and Co-Devisor in The Whirlybird production, who performs the role of Bird.
Q: Tell us about your job and what you like about it?
I play “Bird” in The Whirlybird. The best part of my job is having fun playing on stage with Caroline who is the Whirlybird, and being able to fly and see how the wee ones react to the show!
Q: What is the best bit about your role in The Whirlybird?
The best part about being Bird is how kind and gentle she is and also how much joy she finds in everything, especially flying.
Q: What unexpected thing have you learned about birds since starting the process?
The most unexpected thing I’ve learned about birds during this process has been the huge range of sounds they make! They can sound like all different kinds of animals and things. The Lyrebird, in particular, can sound exactly like anything it hears including the shutter noise of a camera lens!!!
Q: What do you think people will like most about The Whirlybird?
The thing I think people will like most about the Whirlybird is how lovable the characters are and particularly how funny and unique the Whirlybird is.
Cat Carrington is the Stage Manager for The Whirlybird tour 2023. She makes sure everything runs smoothly for each performance.
Q: What do you enjoy about being a stage manager?
How varied each day can be – sometimes you’re searching for a very specific prop in antiques stores, other days you’re up to your ears in paperwork, and on some days you get to be in rehearsals watching shows be brought to life by the fantastic performers, and it all adds up to a weird and wonderful job!
Q: What are you looking forward to about working on The Whirlybird?
Touring around lots of different places, meeting new people and bringing wonder and joy to the wee ones (and probably the bigger grown-up ones too!) who may be experiencing live performance for the very first time.
Q: What do you think people might like most about The Whirlybird?
The colours, the puppets, the fun, and experiencing a performance without words which is a little bit different but wonderfully accessible to all.
https://ecodrama.co.uk/the-whirlybird/
