Auditions for Yvette Nolan’s delightful and cheeky play The Birds directed by Jennifer Dawn Bishop at the Guild Hall. Everyone is welcome. Try something new, dust off your acting chops or just come and play at these fun and joyful auditions!
The Birds is a co-production with The Guild Hall and Gwaandak Theatre
E: ytguildhall@gmail.com to set up an audition or for more info
Audition Details
Saturday Dec 6th and Sunday Dec 7th from 10am-4pm
How should I prepare?
Please bring one prepared piece, this could be a song, a dance or a monologue. No previous theatre experience is required but come ready to play with your movement, voices, ideas, political ideas and personal experiences. If you have any other skill set we encourage you to come and share it!
About the Birds
A modern re-telling of Aristophanes’ classic comic fantasy ‘The Birds’. Two men, frustrated by the modern world, arrive in the fabled land of the birds seeking freedom and a better way of life. Despite their best intentions the men are unable to resist remaking this utopian paradise in their own image, without regard for the inhabitants who already occupy the land. Set in a richly imagined, song and dance filled land of the birds.
The Birds is a play that asks profound questions about utopian escapism and real-life politics while tackling these subjects with whimsy and Yvette Nolan’s trademark wit and charm.
Characters
Jack – a human
Gulliver – also human
Terrance the Hoopoe – somewhere between human and bird
Sandpiper – used to be human
Raven – a trickster
Nightingale – used to be human
Eagle – what more needs to be said?
Priest/Poet/Surveyor/Agent /Lawyer – mostly human
Your choice of bird- rooster, owl, duck, pigeon...
Rehearsals and show
Rehearsals begin January 6th Tues-Fri evenings plus Saturday and Sunday (TBC) Not all performers are called for all rehearsals. We will be flexible with the rehearsal schedule and will build a schedule that meets the needs of the cast, the director and the production.
Performances will be February 11th to 28th, 2026 Wed>Sat
Honorarium for all performers
Message from director Jennifer Dawn Bishop
One of the things that interests me about this play is the ensemble work, when ensembles gather and collaborate, they can create some beautiful powerful storytelling moments with or without words. Being allowed to explore and talk through the text to ask questions, reflect, and to talk about reconciliation and what it really means to build a community? My hope is to have a respectful balance between how we work and collaborate as an ensemble in the room. We will have physical and vocal explorations as we create the work together.
About the director- Jennifer Dawn Bishop
Jennifer is a Metis artist from Treaty Six Territory, she is an actor, playwright and director, her first introduction into theatre was at age 13 in the first Circle of Voices Program back in 1999 though GTNT formerly SNTC. Many moons later Jennifer became GTNT’s Artistic Director from 2017-2024, and although she has transitioned out of her role, her love and belief in GTNT will always hold a special place in her heart and is still a second home to her. Over the years Jennifer has been in over 30 productions and various projects in theatre and film. Some works include “Breaking the Curse” a 25th Street Theatre/ Ferre Play Theatre. Directed audiobooks for Penguin Random House Canada, played Smee in Globe Theatre's "Peter and the Starcatcher", she directed “Cottagers & Indians” by Drew Hayden Taylor with Persephone Theatre, Curated for the Indigenous Cities Project through NAC Indigenous Theatre/Savage Society. Wrote and directed for Burnt Thicket Theatre’s We Treaty People project, Co-directed “Dead Hand Signal” by Logan Martin-Arcand and directed episodes for Season 2, 3, 4 of "Stories of the North". Jennifer Performed as Liset in Keith Barker's This is How We Got Here at Persephone Theatre then next went on to Co-direct LEAR A trilingual adaption in partnership with NNS-GTNT- LTDJ. Other works include directing the COV 2024/2025 production “A Sea Most Cruel” by Liam Scramstad and performed in GTNT’s final production of the 24/25 season “Powwow: A Theatrical Production” written by April Rogers. Jennifer other written produced works include, “Wolves”, “Love Thy Family”, “Iskotew”, “Hospitals, Broken Piano’s”, “Shadows Among the Prairies”, and “Taken Before Birth”.