Blackbird is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.
It isn’t immediately clear how the title of this play—Blackbird—relates to its subject matter. Some clarification is in order.
In the Bible, blackbirds are creatures that pick out the eyes of those who are evil, but they’re also symbols of peace. You may notice references to “eyes” in the play. These references provide some deep symbolic background to Una’s purpose for visiting Ray.
There is also the myth of St. Benedict. Benedict, so the legend goes, was tempted by a blackbird sent by Satan to submit to “ways of the flesh.” To quell the urge, he dove into a briar patch and rolled in nettles until the feeling passed.
Playwright David Harrower calls this play a “love story about two people who have been through a life-changing event together.” Life-changing? Certainly. Love story? Maybe. Ray and Una have each had one significant human connection—the one with each other—in their lives. As upsetting as the connection was, there is a bond that, ultimately, can’t be dismissed. Blackbird explores the limits of guilt, retribution, penance, absolution—and forgiveness. It’s a disturbing story that explores human frailty and its consequences.
~ Ron Ziegler
David Harrower
Playwright David Harrower was born in Edinburgh in 1966. His first play, Knives in Hens, was first produced in 1995 at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. He is also the author of the plays Kill the Old Torture Their Young (1998), and The Chrysalids (1999), adapted from John Wyndham’s novel for the National Theatre’s Connections project. Presence (2001), his third original play, was first performed at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Upstairs in April 2001. Harrower has also adapted versions of Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author (Six Characters Looking for an Author), first staged at the Young Vic in 2000; Chekhov’s Ivanov (2002), performed at the National Theatre in autumn 2002; and Buchner’s Woyzeck, performed at the Edinburgh Lyceum in 2002. He has also translated The Girl on the Sofa (2002), a play by Jon Fosse, presented in a joint production by the Edinburgh International Festival and the Schaubuhne, Berlin. His play Dark Earth (2003) premiered at the Traverse in August 2003. He has also written a new version of Odon von Horvath’s Tales from the Vienna Woods (2003) for the National Theatre, London, which opened in October 2003. His play Blackbird (2005) was commissioned by the Edinburgh International Festival, and he has also written an adaptation of Schiller’s Mary Stuart (2006). Harrower lives in Glasgow.
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Backstage Extra
