Winter Bird

Peter Seacliff, former physician remorseful over his wife’s assisted suicide, buries himself in work as a Rare Book Room librarian. He crosses paths with Thiera, blond sub-arctic vampire with reason enough to haunt the desolate Alaskan woods these past hundred years. With Sean Boyle, hyper teenager, leading the hunt, Peter and Thiera’s fates irretrievably entwine as we explore perception, transfiguration, and mutual redemption with gothic and humorous twists. The other four roles are Alfred Pettibone (head librarian), Evelyn Finch (ancient birdwatcher), Killbear (Native-American policewoman), and Bob (non-speaking janitor/ghost).

Winter Bird, A Gothic Fantasy in Three Acts received Honorable Mention in Virtual Voice Project’s 2008-2009 “The Pen is a Mighty Sword” international playwriting competition (>1,000 entries). Scenes were originally worked at Edward Albee Theatre Conference (Valdez, AK: 95 & 97). A marvelous staged reading of the full script using Equity actors was performed February 2014 by Eclectic Theater Company (Seattle). Earlier full readings were at: Coffee Cantina (Suquamish, WA: 98), Alaska Center for the Performing Arts (Anchorage, AK: 01), The Paradise Theatre School (Chimacum, WA: 05), and The Changing Scene Theatre (Bremerton, WA: 08).

Of an early draft of Winter Bird, Ms. Susan Watson, stage director, lead actress of Broadway and London theatre, star of the original off-Broadway production of The Fantasticks, wrote: “I really liked…. your way of contrasting the Alaskan natural versus the Anchorage civilization… mystic versus literature and science of the library. Also your characters were colorful and empathetic, such as the relationship between Seacliff and Sean. Your ending surprise had a magical quality…”. Lawrason Driscoll wrote: “It is my opinion as an actor who has performed on and off Broadway and in feature films and television, that Steve Treacy’s Winter Bird should be given a full production. With the commitment of an inventive director and a strong cast this scary, humorous Gothic fantasy would make a surprising and delightful evening of theatre.”