The cast and crew of the play were recognized as a Distinguished Performance and Production Ensemble, while Assistant Professor Lauren Roth was named Distinguished Director of a Play.
“These awards are an incredible honor, and I’m so very proud of everyone involved,” Roth says. “Based on the work and the creativity that’s gone into this production process, I feel these recognitions are well-deserved.”
The UMD Department of Theatre’s production of “Stupid F##king Bird” was staged in January at the festival in Des Moines, Iowa, alongside dozens of plays from colleges and universities representing seven states. This was UMD Theatre’s 15th appearance at the KCACTF Regional Festival.
The play, which initially ran at the Marshall Center for Performing Arts on the UMD campus in November 2022, is described as a “sort of adaptation” of Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull” following a dysfunctional group of artists, lovers, and free spirits as they clumsily navigate a world riddled with grief, ego, passion, hypocrisy, and the inevitable loss of hope.
“‘Stupid F##king Bird’ had the rare opportunity of being remounted and performed for an entirely new audience at the KCACTF regional festival in January,” Roth says. “It was a privilege to be able to live in the world of this play for longer than we anticipated.”
Special thanks to the UMD Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Interim Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Amy Hietapelto for additional financial support.
About the play:
STUPID F##KING BIRD
By Aaron Posner
Sort of adapted from “The Seagull,” by Anton Chekhov
Directed by Lauren Roth, UMD Assistant Professor, Voice and Speech
CAST in order of appearance
Conrad Hunter Ramsden?
Dev Cody Do
Mash Irie Unity
Nina Isabelle Hopewell
Emma Arkadina Maddie Froehle
Doyle Trigorin Luke Pfluger
Dr. Eugene Sorn Jack Senske
CREATIVE TEAM
Director Lauren Roth
Dramaturg Gavin Orson
Technical Director Scott Boyle
Scenic Designer Elyssa Munch
Properties Coordinator Matthew Lamers
Costume/Makeup Designer Jeannie Hurley
Assistant Costume Designer Olivia Zastrow
Lighting Designer Samantha Brown
Assistant Lighting Designer Abby Swanson
Sound Designer Ethan Hollinger
Stage Manager Katy Lacy
Assistant Stage Manager Kian Arnold
An aspiring young director rampages against the art created by his mother’s generation. A nubile young actress wrestles with an aging Hollywood star for the affections of a renowned novelist. And everyone discovers just how disappointing love, art, and growing up can be. In this irreverent, contemporary, and very funny remix of Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” Aaron Posner stages a timeless battle between young and old, past and present, in search of the true meaning of it all. “Stupid F##king Bird” will tickle, tantalize, and incite you to consider how art, love, and revolution fuel your own pursuit of happiness.