“Birds of Paradise” follows ornithologist Archie, who uses his knowledge of the behavior of birds to develop a romance with the female lead, Emma, a struggling artist.
“The story was one of love, of holding on and of letting go, and I think it all culminates in a beautiful play of self-discovery and of hope,” said Jacob McGaughey, a senior theater arts major and actor playing Archie.
“Birds of Paradise” has had a few shows already, but its closing weekend will be April 4-6. The production will show at the Forge Theater at 7:30 p.m. on April 4-5 and 2 p.m. on April 6.
Admission is free and open to everyone, and the show runs 80 minutes with no intermission.
The play was written by Adam Harrell, an alum of the University of Idaho’s theater program.
Recently, the play had its debut in Los Angeles. Professor of Theater Arts Craig Miller sent the script to McGaughey.
“I fell in love with it,” McGaughey said.
The script and its message hit close to home for McGaughey; it’s a story about learning how to let go and learning what to take with you and what to leave behind.
“As I prepare to graduate from the university with my B.F.A in Theater Arts, this thought of metaphorically ‘flying away’ from this place that has become so familiar to me has been at the forefront of my mind,” he said.
McGaughey knew this was something he wanted to pursue, so he pitched it to his friends, and it became the perfect project for his senior capstone project.
It was also the senior capstone for Hailey Blackstone and Erin Hester, also theater arts majors.
He approached Blackstone with the idea, and they set out to find a full staff of students to produce the play and make it come to life.
“I found my director, my good friend Kate Pemberton, with whom I have worked on a few projects with, and then I selected my acting partner, Erin Hester, after working with her on the fall musical ‘The Addams Family,’” McGaughey said.
After forming a trio with Pemberton and Hester, he went to his friends to complete his crew.
He recruited Luke Owen for lighting design, Ryan Fraley for sound design, Omaya Simler for costumes and Katie Pry-Gomez for stage management.
McGaughey thinks of “Birds of Paradise” as a “passion project” that fostered an incredible desire to create something impactful and meaningful for the people of the UI and Moscow community.
“Birds of Paradise” tells a story of love, holding on and letting go and depicts a journey of self-discovery and hope that many can relate to, just as McGaughey did.
“’Birds of Paradise’ perfectly captured the emotional journey that I was feeling leading up to my discovery of the play,” McGaughey said.
Brooklynn Jolley can be reached at arg-life@uidaho.edu