By Tyler Beard
Towson University’s Department of Theatre Arts will be performing Aaron Posner’s “Stupid F–king Bird” through March 12.
The play, which opened Wednesday, is an adaptation of Anton Chekov’s “The Seagull” and was directed by Towson Professor Peter Wray.
“Everyone is in love with, apparently, the wrong person,” Wray said in describing the play’s plot. “It plunges through the depths of who we are, want we want, are we satisfied with what we have, what is love and what kind of things are we looking for in our lives. It’s told through the lens of this community of people who are struggling through those issues.”
Wray, who has taught at Towson for 15 years and worked as a professional actor and director, said the the cast has worked hard to prepare for the opening day.
“They’re doing great and it’s been a terrific journey for them,” Wray said. “We casted the semester before the production went up so these students have had the scripts in their hands for months. We started rehearsals at the beginning of the semester, so we’ve been working for about six weeks.”
Jacob Johnson, a senior at Towson who plays the role of Sorn, said the students have put in a great deal of work to make the production come together.
“It’s a lot of work outside, but it’s a lot of work in rehearsal too,” Johnson said. “When we’re in rehearsal, that’s where the juices really start flowing and a lot of things start connecting and come together.”
Senior students Eric Bowers and Lillie Kahkonen, who are the co-lighting technicians for the theatrical, said they have tried to use lighting to set the tone for the production.
“It’s creating the world and atmosphere of the play through lighting shifts and tones through color choices and textures of light that we use,” Johnson said.
Kahkonen said the play is about people who are looking for more in life.
“It’s wanting more in new ways by experiencing things, but also looking for more than what you have been given,” Kahkonen said. “It’s also a question of someone stepping away and wanting to create something new.”
Wray said the play teaches a lot about humanity.
“There are a lot of these characters that are despairing about something and they complain about it a lot,” Wray said. “At the same time, we laugh at their foibles, their silliness, but we also see that that frailty has a great beauty and grace to it, which is part of what makes us human.”
“Stupid F–king Bird” is being shown at the Center for the Arts building. Tickets are $10 for students, $20 for non-students and $15 for senior citizens.