By Laurie O’Neill — [email protected]
“Look upon Concord in April 1775. It is the river. First and always Concord is her river. Wide-sliding, trout-deep, pewter-hued.”
Thus an ethereal character called Mist, played by Susan Ellsworth, opens “A Flurry of Birds” with the lyrical lines of playwright David Fielding Smith.
First staged here during the Bicentennial, “A Flurry of Birds” is being performed by the Concord Traveling Players at various venues in the area over the next four months. The play honors the bravery and resilience of local citizens as they defend their homes, their town, and their country from tyranny.
The Traveling Players are reviving the play this season to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, says director Sandy Armstrong.
‘Startled into action’
Smith was thinking about “the shot heard round the world” in 1974 when he was brainstorming a new play. It was to be about the Revolutionary War battle in Concord, and it would win a contest sponsored by The Concord Players.
“A Flurry of Birds” went on to earn the Moss Hart Award from the New England Theatre Conference.
The playwright imagined how the birds that were settled in nearby bushes and trees might have risen in fright at the sound. With that image in mind, Smith says he envisioned the “embattled farmers” of Longfellow’s poem, picturing them “in their earth tones of buckskin and homespun being startled into action.”
Armstrong tasked member Kate Blair (Ellen Williams), to shorten Smith’s original two-hour play and to concentrate on its older characters because “we are seniors entertaining seniors,” Blair says with a smile. She collaborated with Smith, a writer and retired Lawrence Academy teacher who lives in Groton, to create a streamlined version.
The Players, most of whom live in Concord, range in age from their 70s to a newly minted 97. That would be Tom Ruggles, who plays farmer Daniel Williams. He also provides an ominous soundtrack by tapping a snare drum during moments of tension.
Musical interludes
The group has added musical interludes that were not part of Smith’s play but are appropriate for the setting. For example, the actors sing the poignant “The Cruel War is Raging,” a traditional song recorded by Peter, Paul, and Mary in 1962.
Two players, Alec Walker (Barley and Peter Johnson) and Richard Fortier (Ollie and Timmy Duncan), accompany the singers on guitar. Blair’s husband David Bearg (Concord citizen) serves as the production’s sound engineer. The other troupe members are Anne Fortier (Margaret), who handles the troupe’s bookings, and John Hutchins (British soldier and Amos Wright).
Under Armstrong’s leadership, the troupe that was founded by the late Dorothy Schecter about a dozen years ago to present staged readings of classic pieces has added sketches and musical numbers to their performances. Armstrong decides which music will be played and sung, runs rehearsals at 51 Walden Performing Arts Center, provides the audience with a detailed introduction to each performance, and announces scenes.
The troupe will perform at Newbury Court (April 2, 3 p.m.), Carlisle Council on Aging (April 9, 2 p.m.), Harvard Council on Aging (April 22, 1 p.m.), Lincoln Council on Aging (May 2, 12:30 p.m.), First Parish Church First Tuesday Group (May 6, 2 p.m.), Concord Park (May 14, 1:30 p.m.), and Framingham Council on Aging (June 12, 2 p.m.) For more information, contact Anne Fortier at [email protected].
