Sea of Birds Comes to the Thorne Gallery

From Bill Menezes, Redfern: The Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery and the Redfern Arts Center have collaborated to bring Sea of Birds, based on a child’s memories of an Eastern European displacement camp during the Second World War, to the Thorne Gallery, Thursday, March 12 at 6 p.m., 7:30 p.m., and 8:30 p.m. There will be a brief question-and-answer session with the cast and audience after the 6 p.m. performance.

Seas of Birds is created by Philadelphia writer and performance artist Sebastienne Mundheim, who is known for integrating historical themes with lyrical storytelling that engages children and adults. Structured like Homer’s Odyssey and reminiscent of The Little Prince, the play parallels a child’s memories with fantasy characters from an American child’s imagination. As we follow the narrator’s journey, we meet Ivars the Butterfly Catcher, Gregor the Tormented Meadow Dweller, a Serpent with a Supercilious Eyebrow, and others who live in a sea of blue and black birds. Mundheim tells her tale making use of delicate paper sculpture, dance-based puppetry, and live musicians.

The public is invited to watch the set being installed at the Thorne from noon to 4 p.m., Monday, March 9, through Wednesday, March 11. Seating is limited in the Thorne Gallery, so advanced reservations are strongly encouraged. Tickets are available through the Redfern box office, 8-2168, or online.