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Regretfully, So the Birds Are

  • Julia Izumi
  • Full Length Play, Dark Comedy, Present Day, Contemporary
  • 2M, 4F
  • ISBN: 9780573710575

Julia Izumi's farcical tragedy about three siblings questions the destructive nature of the American need for identity, while trying to wade through the murky waters of Asian-American-ness.

More information

Description

  • Full Length Play
  • Dark Comedy
  • 105 minutes

  • Time Period: Present Day, Contemporary
  • Target Audience: Adult
  • Set Requirements: Unit Set/Multiple Settings
  • Cautions: Mild Adult Themes

  • Performance Group:
  • College Theatre / Student, Blackbox / Second Stage /Fringe Groups, Professional Theatre
Arson. Affairs. Incest. Murder... are only the beginning of problems for the Whistler siblings. Mora’s gotta find her birth mother, Neel’s gotta find himself, and Illy’s gotta keep her piece of the sky... but the birds have other plans. Julia Izumi’s Regretfully, So the Birds Are is a madcap comedy that gleefully flips the human quest for self-discovery on its head.
REVIEWS:

"Whimsical... [an] absurdist carnival."

 Theatremania

"Julia Izumi is first-rate talent whose work is funny, insightful, and masterful. I can’t wait to see what she does next."

 DC Metro Theater Arts

"Equal parts chaos and absurdity."

 The New York Times

"Izumi’s play is crazy, chaotic, but also cleverly plotted... The script is a mold-breaker, a convention-twitter. The only guarantee is hilarity at regular intervals."

 New York Stage Review

"[A] loopy portrait of three adult Asian adoptees.... Absurdism, in other words, served up smartly with perhaps just a dash of didactic curiosity."

 New York Stage Review

"A memorable work of juicy, contentious fiction."

 Theatrely

Premiere Production: Regretfully, So the Birds Are premiered off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons on March 22, 2023. Directed by Jenny Koons, the production featured Sasha Diamond, Gibson Frazier, Kristine Nielsen, Sky Smith, Pearl Sun and Shannon Tyo.

Characters

  • Casting: 2M, 4F
  • Casting Attributes: Role(s) for Asian Actor(s)

  • ILLY – 25, female, Asian American
    NEEL – 28, male, Asian American
    MORA – 29 going on 30, female, Asian American
    ELINORE – 62, female, white American
    CAM THE SNOWMAN – An American snow(white)man
    SREY – Age unclear, female, French? Cambodian?

  • COWMAN – Male, played by same actor as CAM THE SNOWMAN
    A BIRD – Very bird, played by same actor as ELINORE
    MANY BIRDS – So very birds, played by EVERYBODY!

    • Available Material

    Name Price
    Regretfully, So the Birds Are Script This is optional. Order Now

    Arson. Affairs. Incest. Murder... are only the beginning of problems for the Whistler siblings. Mora’s gotta find her birth mother, Neel’s gotta find himself, and Illy’s gotta keep her piece of the sky... but the birds have other plans. Julia Izumi’s Regretfully, So the Birds Are is a madcap comedy that gleefully flips the human quest for self-discovery on its head.

    		$24.95

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