ERIKETA COST
Life & Arts Editor
A young playwright, Con, is hopelessly in love.
His muse, Nina, is distracted and drawn toward someone else — a well-known novelist.
And Con’s two friends, Mash and Dev, are dating each other, only Mash secretly wants Con’s heart.
“Stupid Fucking Bird” by Aaron Posner is all about love triangles, mixed in with question of how far someone will go to end heartache, or pursue new love that could advance a career.
Performing Arts Company (PAC) is the student-run theater club that will be putting on the play.
You can catch the show Nov. 1-2 at 7:30 p.m., and also on Nov. 3 at 2 p.m.
The play is directed by Mitchell Pelissier, a B.F.A. acting major who is also the director of performance and outreach for PAC.
He said that the play was sort-of adapted from a Chekhovian classic called, “The Seagull.” The bird is supposed to be an emblem of love.
“Given the play’s title, ‘Stupid Fucking Bird,’ we as the experiencers are immediately instilled with this expectation of imperfect love, seeing that the bird emblem of love in the play is a seagull,” said Pelissier.
Pelissier also mentioned how the show involves human experiences — set to the extreme.
“We see some characters fall in love and, as a result, see others lose love,” he said. “This naturally leads to complicated relationships and a deterioration of mental health for many characters. In essence, what we see are seven individuals who love so fully that they lose track of the damage done along the way.”
For young people in 2019, a play like this could speak to them in a lot of ways.
“ … Someone recently told me that drama is not meant to replicate what human behavior should be. These characters experience extreme moments of love, lust, abuse and wanting to be the best they can be,” said Pelissier. “I think as young people, these are all very heavy weights that we choose to carry in varying degrees. We can see those deeper parts of ourselves alive on stage in a new way.”
Pelissier describes the nature of the characters’ expressions as explosive, demanding and unapologetic — a way that he would argue most humans do not go through life.
“This show provokes thought and challenges the way we are currently existing. I can only encourage you to come open-eyed and ready,” he said.
Katie Fitzpatrick is the director of PAC, and she encourages anyone and everyone to consider auditioning for something, even if they are new to it.
“The mission of PAC is to give opportunities of all kinds to all people who might want to explore any and all aspects of theater,” she said. “It gives people the opportunity to explore their interests and learn from each other in a collaborative and supportive environment. We always encourage everyone to audition.”
“Stupid Fucking Bird” will be staged at Main Street Studios. Visitors can enter through the back entrance.
Tickets will be $3 for students and $5 for the general public.