Simurgh

Production: 2001
Type of show: Mobile with 4 fixed staged scenes
Show length: variable
Audience capacity: 5,000

For this show, flying ‘inflatables’, differing decors, pyrotechnics and a twenty strong cast have come together to give the visual dimension needed for a large capacity crowd.
The music presented has an important role, as this show uses 4 live musicians.
An inflatable mobile cage, which houses the musicians and the technical elements (sound system and lighting) is at the center of the parade. Other characters evolve around this ‘cage’ amongst the public. These ‘bird’ actors and musicians help to transform the public into bird ‘whistlers’.


This Persian fairytale, ‘The language of birds’ written by Attar in the thirteenth century is the foundation for the show’s story line:
“This tale is a mystic epic, whereby the birds seek their king, ‘the Simurgh’. When they finally arrive at his palace, behind the seven walls, they discover that they themselves are the ‘Simurgh’ and that the Simirgh can simultaneously be one and all.” (Borges)

Nobody can say if this story is true or not, as nobody knows when or where it happened but…..it has been said that one day, somewhere on earth, all the birds of the world gathered together, the sky and the earth was obscured by their numbers. Try to imagine the noise, the colours of it all !

The Houppe bird decided to speak, she had a little trouble at first being heard because of her small size but she was determined that all must listen to her. She cried out: “Birds, birds, birds! We must be proud birds! Proud to know that we know the world like none other. As you know the sky is our kingdom, but no kingdom on earth exists without a King! How is it that we do not have a King?”

The birds scratched there crests. “A King? What use is a King?” The Houppe spoke out again: “Birds,birds, birds, our king’s name is Simurgh! Nobody has seen him, but I know he exists. All Kings live in a palace and I have seen this palace, which proves that our King exists! Birds of the world it is time that we take flight to find our King, The Simurgh, come let us fly ..to Simurgh to Simurgh!..”