BY LAURA GRUHLKE | Arts & Entertainment Reporter | The Statesman
Starting Oct. 8, The Renegade Theater Company is putting on their production of “The Birds.”
The show opens at Teatro Zuccone in the Zeitgeist Arts Building on Oct. 8 and will run through the 24.
“The Birds” is based on the short story by Daphne du Maurier, the same story that was the inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.”
The story is about a flock of birds that start violently attacking the citizens of a town. Director Zach Stofer describes the story as “basically a bird apocalypse.”
The biggest difference between the short story by Maurier and the theater adaptation by Conor McPherson is the timeline. In McPherson’s adaption the show opens after the chaos begins to happen in the town.
This will make the show more intense and even scary at times.
“We think the audience will have a lot of fun being creeped out, and feeling like they too may fall victim to the birds,” artistic and executive director Katy Helbacka said in an email.
With the mixture of sound and art that has been incorporated into the show, it will bring a new level of creepiness to the theater.
“It will be an experience unlike any other in small theater,” Stofer said.
This is Stofer’s first time directing and he couldn’t be more thrilled to be doing this production. After reading the script he knew almost immediately that he wanted to direct it.
“If anyone’s going to ruin it, it’s going to be me,” Stofer said.
The script will leave many asking questions throughout the show.
“To use the tired old cliché, the script is an onion,” Stofer said. “It will leave you peeling back layer-by-layer to find the answers to your questions.”
With Halloween being just around the corner, it is the perfect time to get out and get scared.
“We promise that you will have a fun evening, and you may jump once or twice!” Helbacka said in an email.
Tickets for “The Birds” can be purchased online or in person at the Teatro Zuccone box office.