I kicked off this year’s Toronto Fringe with a solo show: Karie Richards’ birdy … or how not to disappear at the Helen Gardiner Phelan Theatre.
Directed by Jeff Culbert and created by Richards during a Playfinding Master Class with Daniel MacIvor at The Banff Centre, birdy is a brave and touching piece of storytelling.
Performing solo, on a naked stage and with no props, Richards speaks to us as “birdy,” an anxious and fragile – but extremely positive and empathetic – woman who longs to do good for, and make connections with, others. As birdy struggles to calm her inner turmoil, her lightness of voice and presence is both soothing and eerie, her smile at times masking deep anger and confusion about the callousness of the world around her.
While birdy’s take on life is very specific to her situation, we can all relate to how she feels. Featuring a lovely a cappella performance of the song “Come to Me,” written by Casey Hurt, and stories from childhood memory and daily life, birdy is moving piece of storytelling – powerful in its fragility and strong in its vulnerability.
birdy runs at the Helen Gardiner until July 13 – check the birdy page on the Toronto Fringe website for dates and times.
life with more cowbell 
had the pleasure of directing Karie in Alumnae Theatre’s “Summer and Smoke” – so glad to hear her good work continues!
I had the pleasure of seeing her in that show, and a few others at Alumnae – and was very happy to see her evolution as a theatre artist.