Die Vögel

A Stage Fable Based on Daphne du Maurier and Aristophanes

PREMIERE: January 30, 2025

The birds have had enough, and humans no longer understand the world: When a flock of songbirds invades their home and attacks their children, Nancy and Nat Hocken can only suspect that they are witnessing the beginning of a global upheaval that will ultimately lead humanity to the brink of destruction. What they don’t know is that the birds have hatched a plan to topple humans from the throne of evolution.

Daphne du Maurier (1907–1989) and Aristophanes (c. 445–380 B.C.) tell the story of a radical shift in power—one as a horror vision, the other as a comedy. While Du Maurier’s 1952 story leaves the reasons for the animals’ behavior open to interpretation, Aristophanes’ play focuses on the birds’ perspective as they put humans and the gods in their place by founding the city of Cloudcuckooland.

What happens if we think the birds’ revolution through to its logical conclusion? Where do we stand as humanity? What will remain of us? And would the world ultimately be a better place? This stage adaptation of *The Birds* combines tragedy and comedy into a thought experiment featuring colorful shades of gray and a delight in doom.

Cast: Jennifer Demmel, Barbara Weiß, Damian Reuter & David Wolfrum | Director: Stephan Drehmann | Set and Costumes: Johanna Kühn | Assistant Directors: Thekla Edler & Lisa Rosum | Costume Assistant: Mara Sandrock