When Nathan Harrison heard that Australia’s critically endangered songbird, the Regent Honeyeater, was spotted around Cessnock, he immediately went in search. What happened next is one of the many stories told by Harrison, a professional theatre maker and amateur birdwatcher in his current show, Bird Song of Tomorrow, at the Old Fitz, Woolloomooloo.
Harrison’s tales about birds are blended with live music, art, science and bird calls. His performance is a heartfelt call to recognise the extraordinary lives of birds such as the Lyrebird at Taronga Zoo that imitated the siren and the following announcement: ‘evacuate now’ when the lions escaped in 2022, complete with a recording.
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There are plenty of heroes in the world of birds, such as the wandering albatross with a wingspan of up to 3.5 metres that flies above the sea, returning to land every few years. Another is the Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher that migrates from PNG to far North Queensland, often exhausted every year.
Harrison has seen around 150 varieties of birds in the last year. There is a gloomy side to bird watching as the feathered creatures adapt to a rapidly changing world and the threats to habitat, but Harrison keeps his show from despair. Harrison’s play isn’t preachy or heavy-handed but poignant as he tells his own story of personal loss. Harrison remains positive about what birds can offer, as well as looking back on birds that have disappeared.
One way is to recognise the splendour of the birds that have been lost. One of these is New Zealand’s Huia bird, prized for its feathers used in traditional ceremonies. The Huia had a delightful call that bird hunters imitated to lure them from the forests to hunt their prized feathers. The Huia’s last confirmed sighting was in 1907, but Harrison plays human recordings of its call, and it’s a special memory worth reflecting on.
Harrison’s show is a worthwhile tribute that is eloquent and moving. It is one of the Griffin Theatre’s Lookout productions that supports outstanding young theatre makers. He also created Hottest 100 of Animals: A Countdown for the Anthropocene for Griffin. It follows on from the recent Lookout performance at the Old Fitz, Sistren, by Iolanthe.
- What: Birdsong of Tomorrow
- Where: The Old Fitz, 129 Dowling Street, Woolloomooloo
- When: Showing until 6 September 2025
- Purchase tickets here.