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Swoop by Lindsay Price play script cover

Swoop

adapted by Lindsay Price from The Birds by Aristophanes

No laws. Just wings.

This high-energy play blends absurd humour and universal questions of control and conformity as it reimagines the Ancient Greek comedy The Birds for a modern audience.

Two fed-up clowns, Persi and Goho, reject the restrictive rules of Athens and venture into the wild to seek total freedom. What begins as a comic complaint about laws escalates into a revolutionary proposal: a city in the sky where birds are king. Or so they think. What happens when a clown decides they want total control? Are freedom and power the same thing?

A dynamic chorus of birds and opportunities for inventive costumes, masks and physical comedy. Lots of doubling options!

Comedy Classical Adaptation

Also available in a competition-length version here

Recommended for High Schools and Middle Schools

At a Glance

Running Time
About 45 minutes
Approximate; excludes intermissions and scene changes
Cast
18 Characters
3 M2 F13 Any Gender, Plus Chorus of Birds. Doubling Possible.
Set
Simple set
Free Excerpt

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Performance Royalty Fees

Royalty fees apply to all performances whether or not admission is charged. Any performance in front of an audience (e.g. an invited dress rehearsal) is considered a performance for royalty purposes.

Exemption details for scenes and monologues for competition.

18 Characters

3 M, 2 F, 13 Any Gender, Plus Chorus of Birds. Doubling Possible.

Characters in this play are currently identified as male or female. Directors are welcome to assign any gender (binary or non-binary) to any character and modify pronouns accordingly.

PERSI (PERSUASION) [M] 205 lines
Goes by Persi. A clown who wants to escape from Athens’ rules & laws.
GOHO (GOOD HOPE) [A] 99 lines
Goes by Goho. A clown who wants to escape from Athens’ rules & laws.
SHOEBILL [A] 30 lines
Servant to Terry Pops.
POPS [M] 36 lines
A bird who was once human, and is now king of the birds, though no one treats him like a king.
CHORUS OF BIRDS [A] 66 lines
As many as your stage can handle. This crowd is violent at first, then deferential.
CHORUS MEMBERS (3) [A] 19 lines
Individual speakers from the Chorus of Birds.
POET [A] 6 lines
Claims to be the official poet of Cloud Cuckoo Land.
PROPHET [A] 7 lines
Claims to be the official prophet of Cloud Cuckoo Land.
MESSENGER [A] 3 lines
Brings word from the wall.
IRIS [F] 7 lines
A messenger from the Gods.
HERALD [A] 5 lines
Brings word from earth.
A PARRICIDE [A] 2 lines
Wants to be a bird. And kill their father.
A BARD [A] 3 lines
Wants to be a bird. And sing.
PROM [A] 11 lines
Has important information, but is also hiding from Zeus.
ARTEMIS [F] 11 lines
An ambassador. Goddess of the Hunt.
HERACLES [M] 16 lines
An ambassador. A demigod.
TRIBALLUS [A] 0 lines
An ambassador. A barbarian god. Speaks only gibberish.

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