If We Were Birds

By Erin Shields ISBN: 9781770910126 format: Paperback pages: 96 publisher: Playwrights Canada Press pub. date: 2011-09-15

Price $16.95 Quantity This item is in stock and usually ships within 24 hours.

Winner of the 2011 Governor General's Award for Drama.

When King Pandion marries his daughter Procne off to war hero King Tereus, she must leave her beloved sister Philomela behind. After years of isolation in a foreign land, Procne begs Tereus to collect her sister for a visit. When confronted with PhilomelaâEUR(TM)s beauty, TereusâEUR(TM)s desire triumphs over reason, igniting a chain of horrific events. A harrowing exploration of violence and revenge, this adaptation features a chorus of ravaged women, each a survivor of a twenteth century conflict: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Rwanda, Bangladesh, Nanking, and Berlin.

If We Were Birds is a shocking, uncompromising examination of the horrors of war, giving voice to a woman long ago forced into silence, and placing a spotlight on millions of female victims who have been silenced through violence. A deeply affecting and thought-provoking re-imagining of OvidâEUR(TM)s masterpiece "Tereus, Procne, and Philomela," Erin ShieldsâEUR(TM)s award-winning play is an unflinching commentary on contemporary war and its aftermath delivered through the lens of Greek tragedy.

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