Interview: Birds at Dawn

As part of this year’s festival, On The Rocks presents Birds at Dawn, a new one act play written by our own Lauren Hepburn which, against the backdrop of a New York apartment, explores the failing of love and relationships and life’s pressures. The playwright and cast give us a little more information.

What’s Birds at Dawn all about? Tell us a little bit about the play.

Edie: There are different ways to interpret what Birds at Dawn is about. On the surface it reads as the disintegration of a marriage in a single night. But I choose to think of it as a play that portrays the confusion and fear one feels when life doesn’t live up to a certain expectation – and the courage needed to regain control.

What 3 words would best describe your production?

Tom: intimate, thought-provoking and turbulent.

What was your inspiration behind the play? 

Lauren: The play was born of a desire to explore some of our most powerful and universal emotions onstage, and to create a play the audience would experience. I wanted to make something quite real, unforgiving and honest – something that my audience might recognise as a part of themselves of their experiences.

What aspect of the production are you most looking forward to?

Edie: A really exciting aspect will be the creation of the stuffy, cramped bedroom of the characters and the close proximity of our audience. It should be a very voyeuristic experience!