Ilene reid
The Blue bird
THE BLUE BIRD (adapted from the 1908 play by Maurice Maeterlink) is a timely new vision of a lost fairytale. When a young brother and sister are commanded by a mysterious witch to find an elusive blue bird they spend a magical night’s journey where regular day-to-day life suddenly seems brilliantly alive and at times quite menacing. As they pursue the bird deeper into the night, they face terrifying and existential challenges but are also rewarded with almost heavenly moments of happiness and clarity. A helpful dog, a scheming cat, and a long-dead Belgian playwright each insists on a different worldview, but the children must discover for themselves the answer to the questions the blue bird poses. What are we chasing? What are we running from? Is Death the worst fate? Or is it hopelessness? Blending humor, lightness, and anguish, The Blue Bird is about people searching for what they need, throughout history, and then—through bravery, patience, and love—finding what they need, for today.
Co-author:
WILL ENO
Will Eno lives in Brooklyn and is a Pulitzer Finalist in Drama and winner of the Obie, Lortel, and Drama Desk awards. He wrote the book for the massively successful Skittles Superbowl musical, which starred his frequent collaborator Michael C. Hall. Will teaches playwriting, most recently at Princeton University, and mentors students at Columbia and elsewhere. His play Gnit, an adaptation of Peer Gynt, had its Canadian Premiere at the Shaw Festival in 2025. His daughter Albertine acted in a workshop of her dad’s new play at the Gate Theatre in Dublin in 2025. Film director Frederick Wiseman will direct the French premiere of his play The Realistic Joneses in Paris in 2026. Will also writes for television and film.
