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About the play

“Great script, great philosophical dialogue, great poem, Mouawad's text gives rise to an incredible show, admirably defended by actors of different nationalities. (...) There are few shows that speak of the current world and, in particular, of the fire that burns from the Middle East, with so much love for the human being, so much art to unravel the hatred and so much sense of beauty”.

Politis

Wadji Mouawad revolutionised international theatre with his renowned Incendies (Scorched), a savage drama that premiered in 2003 and made him the king of tragedy or, as the critics put it, the modern-day heir to Sophocles and Shakespeare. With Tous des oiseaux (Birds of a Kind), the artist once again demonstrates why he is widely regarded as one of the greatest playwrights of our times. Impossible loves, diverse scenarios and characters steeped in history... All the force of Mouawad's overwhelmingly epic plays is once again on full display in this blazing creation that celebrates its Spanish premiere at the Teatros del Canal as part of the 38th Autumn Festival.

Birds of a Kind explores the impossible destiny of two lovers, an Arab woman and an Israeli man, trapped in the madness of a war without end. The playwright stages an incredibly powerful depiction of a tragedy that is unleashed in the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Secrets echo, truth explodes and intimacy is torn to shreds in the maelstrom of events worldwide that assail us.

Do our pasts and our origins define our identity? From New York to Jerusalem through Berlin, from love at first sight to a terrorist attack, from screams to laughter, Mouawad has woven an extraordinary tale that is submerged in the inextricable chaos of the Middle East. With its blend of languages, performed by an international cast of high quality and great talent, Birds of a Kind sheds light on the inconsolable pain of that which cannot be expressed, the impossibility of our desires, or of reconciliation between sworn enemies.

Mouawad's writing places questions of geography and language at the heart of the play. Geography because the plot unrolls mainly in Israel, a land of anguish that bears on its shoulders the history of the Middle East and Europe. Language, because the play respects the languages of reality in fiction. German, English, Arabic and Hebrew resound on stage, these languages that interact with each other in Israel. The author’s intention is that these languages should be heard together on stage, to reveal the borders laid down by incomprehension, anger and the unacceptable.

Birds of a Kind is based on a Persian legend about an amphibian bird: a bird that dreamt of swimming with fishes and grew gills in order to do so. The director uses this metaphor to approach the delicate issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The protagonists, two students in love, a German Jew and an American Arab, are collateral victims of a tragedy that extends beyond their human existence. The play begins with a scene in a New York library and later shifts to the heart of the conflict in Jerusalem. Generations are torn apart and the painful past confronts the reality of the present. Birds of a Kind is a story where the violence of the outer world intrudes upon the intimacy of domestic life. And there is no one reality that can dominate over another.

Practical information

• Teatros del Canal Sala Roja
• 27 and 28 November at 19:30

Full information on the show Ticket sales

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