New MerrigongX show stickybeaks into hidden stories of Aussie birds

From the warbling magpie to the cackling kookaburra, birds are so baked into everyday Aussie life that, for most of us getting on with our day, they barely warrant a second thought.

That is, unless you’ve spoken to Nathan Harrison lately.

The emerging Wollongong playwright and performer will present his new work Birdsong of Tomorrow at IPAC later this month, presenting these ubiquitous creatures in a new light.

Part of Merrigong Theatre Company’s MERRIGONGX annual artists’ program, Birdsong of Tomorrow blends science, storytelling, music and projection in a playful and heartfelt look at the birds around us, and what they might sing when we’re gone.

Nathan, who grew up in a home at the foot of Mount Keira, has always had a love of birds, but it wasn’t until the throes of lockdown that this concept came to life.

“The world felt small at that time and everything was changing so quickly, and it was hard to get a hold of it all,” he says.

“I found myself becoming more aware of the birds in my backyard, and they felt like a nice way to contemplate change.

“These creatures are all around us every day, they’ve been shaped by the world for eons, and they have songs and languages that they’ve passed down through generations. They’re songs of a world that’s gone and a world that’s changing. There’s a whole culture and memory there. It’s kind of mind-blowing.”

The show was heavily inspired and informed by Nathan’s day job as part of the Boho Interactive collective of Australian artists, performers and game designers who, in collaboration with research scientists, present works for audiences in boardrooms, conferences, festivals, theatres, classrooms and museums.

Topics cover everything from extinction to ecology, disasters to resilience.

“As a science nerd who ended up in theatre, it’s a dream, and the same principles apply to Birdsong of Tomorrow,” Nathan says.

“I find that when art is working well, it’s about taking big, messy, complicated things that don’t make sense, untangling and unpacking them and putting them together into experiences.

“A show like this shouldn’t know the answers – it’s a collaboration with the audience to try and figure that out.”

Birdsong of Tomorrow audiences can expect a thoughtful, reflective show with facts about birds, audio and visual recordings of birds in the wild, “personal stuff and sciency bits”.

“It will make you feel strange and unfamiliar at times. One goal is to help people rethink things we see every day.

Nathan joins an all-star team including Emma McManus (Sorry Sorry Sorry), Tom Hogan (Mount Hopeless) and Solomon Thomas (UFO, Coil) to bring this show to life.

Merrigong Theatre Company Artistic Development Manager Leland Kean says the cast and crew deliver a show that sticks with audiences.

“This is a deeply personal story and passion of Nathan’s, with a message that will echo in your heart and stay with you like the calls of the birds it explores long after you leave the theatre,” he says.

Birdsong of Tomorrow is produced with support from BrandX, Griffin Theatre Company and the Malcolm Robertson Foundation.

MERRIGONGX places artists and their practice at the centre of their community. From in-house creative developments to full-blown public presentations of new work, and everything in between, MERRIGONGX provides independent artists with financial, technical, marketing, and artistic resources.

Birdsong of Tomorrow shows at Bruce Gordon Theatre, Illawarra Performing Arts Centre on Thursday 22 August at 7:30 pm, Friday 23 August at 7:30 pm and Saturday 24 August at 7:30 pm. There is no set ticket price – instead, simply reserve a spot, show up, then pay what you feel the performance is worth afterwards.