On February 19th, the Chicago Bird Alliance held a special evening benefit performance of Birds of North America at A Red Orchid Theater in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood. For those who are unfamiliar with this leading theater, Red Orchid features its plays on a small set representing a singular area that serves as the sole setting. When entering the theater, you get acquainted with the set on your way to your seat. Right away, you find yourself transported from Old Town to the calm suburban forested backyard of a house in Baltimore, Maryland—there’s the porch behind the small house, yard tools and fallen leaves scattered about, the fence covering up trees, and the interior of the house slightly visible behind the windows. It evokes a sense of familiarity, as if it could serve as your own backyard in the suburbs and that every amount of detail has a history to it.
As the lights begin to dim and the theater goes dark, you are greeted with the singing of a Northern Cardinal, performing in tangent with soft, relaxing music, both supporting one another in a rhythmic tune. Sunlight starts to shine upon the yard when out of the house comes a man and a woman. As the music fades into more familiar birdsongs and the chirping comes from all around you, the man and woman swing their binoculars around at each bird song, with the former logging entries in his notebook. The man, John, says the name of each bird he hears, all being correct to the experienced birder. His daughter, Caitlyn, shows her eagerness and enthusiasm for birding as well as her inexperience as she has trouble describing to her father the location of a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in a neighbor’s tree. After John discusses birding with Caitlyn, using terms familiar to birders, and Caitlyn shares her excitement for a particularly abundant bird species to her unimpressed father, they transition to discussing their personal lives, from the scientific projects John has been working on and his thoughts on his wife’s desire to go on another trip, to Caitlyn’s job search and her struggles with finding the right partner.
From their conversations, you start to see that beyond a shared hobby for birding, John and Caitlyn have a strained relationship. It is here that you realize that, despite the title, Birds of North America is not really about birding, North American birds, or even about birds at all. It’s about the deteriorating connection between a father and daughter who are at odds with one another and who start to become distant as time goes on.
John Judd’s and Cassidy Slaughter-Mason’s performances are award-worthy, as they each give a sense of heart and tragedy to their roles that make their chemistry both believable and relatable, while also accurately echoing the experiences of birders. Photo by Evan Hanover.
Writer Anna Ouyang Moe has cleverly woven Birds of North America to use birding as a foundational backdrop to a relatable, mature, and dynamic narrative between John and Caitlyn as their paths stray from one another. Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald’s directing perfectly captures key moments in the lives of two birders that speak volumes not only to birders, but to non-birders as well. You could have no interest in birds and still understand what’s going on, let alone feel what’s going on. This is all brought to life by the stellar performances of the actors, whose characters feel authentic, complex, and identifiable. From their movements, attire, and dialogue, John Judd and Cassidy Slaughter-Mason perfectly capture the spirit of birders everywhere through the roles of John and Caitlyn, respectively. Their acting embraces the humanity inside each one of us, both good and bad, and they display an incredible range of emotion that encapsulates natural, raw feelings, with moments of thoughtfulness, humor, and anguish.
As the audience, we get a look into the lives of John and Caitlyn while they bird together over the course of roughly ten years, each opening up about the ups and downs of their lives, yet growing distant as they struggle to understand one another. It feels so authentic that it can be applied to any one of us. Birds of North America perfectly captures the feeling of connection and disconnection within families, from fractures to healing, and portrays it so accurately through the writing and performances that the parallels are instantly relevant.
Ethan Korvne’s sound design and music in Birds of North America acts as a narrative chorus that adds a phenomenal layer of depth and realism to the story and performances. Photo by Evan Hanover.
But what brings everything together is the brilliant sound design and music by Ethan Korvne. If there’s anything that shows that the cast and crew behind Birds of North America did their homework and understood the assignment of crafting something that birders would recognize and approve, it’s the use of bird songs, all of which are combined beautifully with the emotional performances, impressive writing, and immersive set to fully bring this story to life. Additionally, the birds that are heard in the play were clearly picked with care and understanding, not only from a birder’s perspective, but even from old beliefs regarding birds. In short, the creative team knew exactly which bird sounds to pair with crucial moments throughout the play. Every time you hear a bird during the play and you see John and Caitlyn whip their binoculars around to try and see it, you can’t help but look in the same direction. It makes you believe that there really are birds inside the theater with you, observing the play. In that sense, it could be interpreted that the audience are the birds, observing the lives of John and Caitlyn from the nearby trees, watching them in their backyard over the decade.
Speaking of the backyard, the set designers deserve just as much praise for providing a realistic setting for the performances. Scenic Designer Morgan Laszlo’s work makes the set feel alive with everything you can imagine for a suburban backyard, from the door slamming shut to the aged fence looking authentic with branches poking from behind it, all working alongside Lighting Designer Seojung Jang’s incredible use of lighting, bringing the story to life visually. In addition, Props Designer and Set Dresser Spencer Diaz Tootle’s contributions include placing every prop in intentional spots to amplify the realism of the entire set. From the wheelbarrow to the leaves and everything in between, it all feels just right in its placement and use by the cast throughout the play. But there are some props that are truly authentic and add to the story in a realistic way, one of them being John’s birding journal. Looking closely, you can see actual writing inside the prop itself, invoking that sense of realism, authenticity, and familiarity that the play perfectly displays with every other aspect. The set is simplistic, cozy, and atmospheric.
Birds of North America is an emotional triumph that shows the human side of birders, and how we all navigate not only through our lives, but how we connect with one another. Photo by Evan Hanover.
With a powerfully written story, featuring lively performances directed to perfection, astonishing sound design and music, and a minimalist set that brings everything to life, Birds of North America deserves its acclaim and more. It is a well-crafted experience that can be appreciated by birders and non-birders alike. It contains a sense of depth and implication that feels alive, with elements implied throughout that showcase the narrative as a look through a window into the lives of two birders who are both flawed but passionate human beings, brought to life by incredible acting and dialogue. The play is a bittersweet and cautionary tale that reveals how devastating the collapse of a family bond can be due to held differences. And yet, it also shows that in the end, family will always be there in one way or another.
There are many questions Birds of North America asks, but if there’s one that is perhaps the most thought-provoking, it’s this: What are the ten birds you want to see before you die?
Header photo featuring experienced birder/scientist John (John Judd) and his amateur birder daughter Caitlyn (Cassidy Slaughter-Mason) from Birds of North America by Evan Hanover.