Wilbury Theatre Group To Premiere LIFTED By Charlie Thurston

Providence's Wilbury Theatre Group has announced details for the upcoming premiere of Charlie Thurston's Lifted, a modern meditation on the Icarus myth, directed by Artistic Director Josh Short and presented outdoors at WaterFire Arts Center, October 21 through November 13. The production features Daraja Hinds, Victor Neto and Jim O'Brien.

Lifted is part absurdist family drama, part imaginative theatrical fantasia. In an environmentally ravaged near-future, birds have returned from their recent extinction to carry a teenage boy off into the sky. Is it an act of salvation or a declaration of war? As the avian abduction sends ripples through the city, then the country, then the world, his twin brother, father and girlfriend have to turn to each other for meaning.

"I've always been totally smitten with Wilbury's eclectic, dynamic programming," said playwright Charlie Thurston. "And their fearless commitment to give their audience 'the never before' - the never before seen, the never before felt, the never before thought. Miraculously, despite the unprecedented obstacles, this commitment has only deepened during the pandemic. Lifted and Wilbury is a match made in heaven." Thurston, a familiar face on the Trinity Rep stage, has been a member of their acting company since 2013.

Wilbury's Artistic Director Josh Short adds: "We're thrilled that Charlie has entrusted us with Lifted. While a world terrorized by unseen flocks of birds may sound like science fiction, the play is rooted in a deep sense of humanity that challenges audiences to consider how the less fortunate members of society are forced to grapple and live with the consequences of a world controlled by the powerful. Charlie's work resounds even louder in light of the pandemic and we couldn't be prouder to be among the first theatres in the country to bring this startling play to life."

Tickets for the production are Pay-What-You-Can, and are available through The Wilbury Group's website at thewilburygroup.org/lifted