“Birds” is the Word – Chaffey’s Newest Production is Slated to Give a Little Something for Everyone
By Miranda Morgan
The Birds, written in 414 BC by Greek playwright Aristophanes, is a comedic piece about two men who seek to leave Athens in hopes of creating their own utopian society in the sky with birds. While the premise of the play reads as pure absurdity, the underlying tones that emerge throughout the show’s action are parallel to society as we know it today.
We were able to sit down with the director, Christa Havenhill, and one of the lead actors, Oliver Kolb, to get the inside scoop on what Panthers can expect from this semester’s production.
Image courtesy of Calvin Lee: Havenhill and Kolb sit in The Breeze newsroom, discussing Chaffey’s upcoming production.
The chorus of birds, led by Kolb – a 19-year-old political science and pre-law major – was given creative freedom in choosing what type of bird they wanted to be. While the other bird species remain under wraps, they are promised to be visually stunning. As for Kolb, he credits his father for aiding in the species decision for his role – the secretary bird.
The secretary bird, defined by its large crown of feathers and a vibrant orange face (which matches wonderfully with Kolb's own orange hair), is a large and intimidating bird – one that uses its powerful stomping power to crush prey under its feet. Despite its aggressive nature, it is also defined by its fierce loyalty, a trait Kolb sees as reflective of his character’s loyalty to his fellow birds.
“It’s a very nuanced role – there’s strong dynamic shifts. This character is very dynamic in the way that they’re being persuaded of different things throughout the show,” said Kolb. “So, when approaching the dialogs and monologues, it’s important for me to at least highlight where these shifts are happening and for what purpose. When they happen, it reflects a shift in the overall plot, in how the plot is now going to progress in ways that might be shocking to the audience.”
Aside from his character study, the dialogue and plot themselves are reflective of their Ancient Greek origins, which can be a tricky road to navigate. In order to better prepare for the role, Kolb has done some dramaturgy – which is the study of dramatic technique and composition, to better perform on stage – especially because he has some of the longest monologues in the show, with one hitting 55 lines. For those unfamiliar with the world of drama, that is quite the task.
Image courtesy of Calvin Lee: Oliver Kolb, who plays chorus leader in The Birds.
Additionally, finding renditions of the play to turn to for inspiration has been largely impossible. As a royalty-free production, there is much leeway with how every show is produced, meaning inconsistency when a rendition is found. For Havenhill, who is now in her 19th year of teaching theatre arts at Chaffey, that means having to build the musical from the ground up.
“There’s collaboration. It’s not just [the] director saying ‘Hey, do it this way because it’s been done this way.’ It’s like we’re in uncharted waters,” said Havenhill, on how they are navigating the nuances of production. “I’m giving them a skeleton, but I need the actors to come up with ideas as well. We’ll test it and if it doesn’t work, we’ll try something else that does work.”
Aside from the level of care and consideration put into the costumes, the stage design has also been meticulously crafted. According to Havenhill, Greek theatre represented someone’s status by their placement on the stage. The humans remain on the lowest level, birds are the next up and gods are at the highest level. When watching the play, pay mind to character placements as this will reveal to you even more subtleties, such as political or power dynamics.
Kolb, who is studying pre-law and political science, sees these dynamics as reflective of our society today.
“We notice, especially through history and politics as a whole, these cycles that happen with societies and countries and formed governance, where you kind of start out with this idealistic view,” Kolb stated. “As things progress, you find egos. Natural egos kind of slip their way into these systems and overtake these little inconsistencies. Because of that, it can cause the downfall of these ideals.”
He hopes that the audience will be able to also gain a sense of introspection into where they fit into society. Havenhill feels the same, and hopes that it can also give people a sense of comedic relief in such tumultuous times.
“The birds are the indigenous people of the land, and so now we have the humans who are not indigenous to this area coming in to take over,” said Havenhill. “This is a comedy, and the playwright Aristophanes, his main goal and purpose was for the audience to laugh this way. It is political satire, but the primary purpose is to laugh.”
Image courtesy of Calvin Lee: Christa Havenhill, director of The Birds and 19-year professor of theatre.
From the dynamics of friendship and power to false promises, there is something for everyone to find in this show – and I mean, everyone.
“Anybody that might be interested in Greek history, they’re going to love this. People that love watching beautiful costumes, this is going to be interesting for them, and for the whole Chaffey audience,” said Havenhill.
While the theatre was initially hoping to do Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, the pivot to The Birds is one that seems even more exciting and unique. Panthers are hungry for something fresh, and Havenhill and Kolb are slated to provide just that.
For those interested in seeing The Birds, the performances will be held Apr. 9-12 at Chaffey's Rancho Cucamonga theatre. For more details and to purchase tickets, please visit the virtual box office included here. Tickets will also be on sale in-person during show days.