08 Jun 2020
Adapted from Faulks’s novel by Rachel Wagstaff, the production will be staged in full costume with digital scenic design.
It will be streamed online at 7pm on July 1, to mark the 104th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. The show will then be available online for a further 72 hours. The performance will be introduced and narrated by Faulks, with a special reading from his novel during the interval.
It has been created by the Original Theatre Company, based on the company’s co-production of the play – with Birdsong Productions – which toured more than 75 theatres between 2013 and 2018. The online production is produced with the Royal British Legion.
The cast for the virtual performance is made up of members from the previous touring companies, including Tom Kay as Stephen Wraysford and Madeleine Knight as Isabelle Azaire.
Other cast members include Tim Treloar, Liam McCormick, Malcolm James, Poppy Roe, Jeffrey Hamer, Stephen Boxer, Olivia Bernstone, Samuel Martin, Max Bowden, Christopher Harper, James Findlay and Tony Green.
Birdsong is directed by the Original Theatre Company’s artistic director Alastair Whatley and Charlotte Peters, with digital production design by David Woodhead, costumes by Siobhan Boyd, sound by Dom Bilkey and musical direction by James Findlay. It will be edited by Tristan Sheppard.
Wagstaff said: “I am thrilled to see our show taking life in this new online format.
He continued, “I have really enjoyed reworking it with Sebastian Faulks’ ongoing support and participation and in these challenging times, the story seems to mean more than ever.”
You can find out more at www.birdsongonline.co.uk
