Pre-Flight
After two days of non-stop rain, the day of the outdoor production rehearsal is blessedly dry. MIF takes a maternal approach—e-mailing to remind us to dress warmly and wear stout footwear. The temperature in Upper Campfield Market is raised by the presence of more warm bodies—other participants such as choir and brass band members have joined.
We are introduced to director Simon Stone who reminds us the concept of When the Birds Land is that Little Amal will experience the culture of Manchester before getting the chance to become a citizen. We are, therefore, part of her developmental experience and representatives of the city. No pressure. The swallows will act as guides for Little Amal—visible cues nudging her on her journey through the city streets to her destination.
Birds now mounted on poles, we set off through the evening streets of Manchester to rehearse Little Amal’s arrival. It is gratifying, if surprising, that most people who stop us and ask what we’re doing have heard of Little Amal’s quest. The drawback of taking part in the project becomes apparent quickly: participants do not get to watch the show. The route begins at the statue of suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst in St. Peter’s Square before proceeding to the Central Library. However, my group, The Gliders, misses those events being situated around the corner and becoming active at the third location.
The route has been made more welcoming since our first walk. Banners hang from a bridge greeting Little Amal (who at this point is represented by a box held aloft on a stick) and landmarks are now spotlit. Mobile lighting technicians follow the procession to ensure Little Amal is not lost in shadows.
There remains a sense of not being able to see the wood for the trees—being too close to the action to appreciate the impact upon the viewer. This changes as we reach the end of the procession as an area of open land gives the chance to spread out and get a sense of the scale of the swallows in action.
Taking part in When the Birds Land gives the opportunity to see how theatre develops during rehearsal. The director shows puppeteers how to make the best use of the space at sites and where to stand to make the greatest impact. Initially at Castlefield Bowl, the puppeteers are organised in a relatively complex formation. Concentric circles of puppeteers are formed, one walking clockwise the other anti-clockwise, and experiments are made with varying the speed of the birds and the height at which they fly. Eventually, however, it is decided to exploit the space available at Castlefield Bowl, spread the puppeteers out and swing the bamboo poles as if they are scythes or flags thus creating the illusion of the birds dramatically swooping down at speed. It creates a sense of release and excitement perfect for the arrival of Little Amal and is such a success it is immediately decided to utilise the approach wherever possible in the procession.
The arrival of the star of the show is humble rather than dramatic—there is no announcement but suddenly the lass herself enters stage right. Little Amal is operated by two external puppeteers moving her arms and a third in her chest cavity, on stilts, manipulating her legs and face. This led me to expect her to be bulky like the exoskeleton Ripley dons at the climax of Aliens. Actually, Little Amal is slender—barely wider than the body of the puppeteer within her chest. Yes, like many famous people, she is smaller in real life than one would expect from TV and social media. Little Amal is also surprisingly fast—we are warned to keep out of the range of the poles used by the external puppeteers moving her arms.
Many people have an aversion to, even a phobia of, puppets. Their resemblance to real people while still being alien from them is creepy. This effect is lessened by Little Amal’s features being softened by long eyelashes and hair flowing freely rather than painted onto her scalp. Besides, it is hard to dislike someone who freely agrees to pose with the puppeteers for a photo.