GRIEF IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS

GRIEF IS THE THING
WITH FEATHERS

  • 26 Jul – 24 Aug 25 Upstairs Theatre

GRIEF IS THE THING
WITH FEATHERS

Based on the novel by Max Porter
Adapted for the stage by Simon Phillips, Nick Schlieper & Toby Schmitz

  • Venue Upstairs Theatre
  • Dates 26 Jul – 24 Aug 25
  • Content warning

    Approximate running times of each production are uploaded to the production page as soon as that information becomes available. During the rehearsal period running times are liable to change given the extensive workshopping and development each production undergoes before it reaches the stage.

    Content warnings will also be uploaded to each production page as they are advised.

    Should you wish to speak to a member of staff regarding running times, content warnings or any other show related queries, our box office can be contacted on 02 9699 3444.

  • Co-Produced with

“…and the boys shouted I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU and their voice was the life and song of their mother. Unfinished. Beautiful. Everything.”

Two young boys fall back on their imaginations as they grapple with their mother’s sudden death. Their father has the soul of a poet but can only see a future of platitudes and loneliness. In the sadness, like a gothic Mary Poppins, comes Crow – trickster, babysitter, provocateur and healer. Did this odd bird come to a grieving family because they needed him? Or is he something they made?

Max Porter’s exquisite verse novel has been a literary sensation, garnering an ardent tribe of devotees. Now, in the expert hands of Simon Phillips, comes a fresh stage version full of theatricality and insight.

The dad in this story knows his Ted Hughes poetry well, and it’s from Hughes that the character of Crow emerges. The book has legions of fans, and after you’ve heard the mercurial Toby Schmitz tell this tale of loss and life, you’ll be in their ranks. It’s dark, then it’s beautifully bright. And you’re in the hands of some of the country’s most celebrated and experienced theatre makers. A gem. – Eamon

Performance Times

Weekly Times

  • tuesday 6:30pm

    Except 29 Jul at 7:30pm

  • wednesday 6:30pm
  • thursday 1pm & 7:30pm

    No 1pm performance on 31 Jul & 7 Aug

  • friday 7:30pm
  • saturday 2pm & 7:30pm

    No 2pm performance on 26 Jul

  • sunday 5pm

    Except 27 Jul at 6:30pm & 24 Aug at 2pm

  • image description Preview Session
  • image description Special Performance
  • image description School Performance

Save with Season Tickets!

With 4-play packages starting from $190 plus a range of ticket types and concessions, there is a package to suit everyone!

General release tickets on sale Tuesday 11th February 2025

Join Us

TEAM

  • Max Porter
    Original Author
  • Simon Phillips
    Director, Adaptor and Designer
  • Nick Schlieper
    Adaptor and Designer
    image description

    Nick Schlieper has designed for all of the major performing arts companies in Australia, and works regularly in Europe and the USA. He is one of Australia’s most highly awarded designers having received seven Sydney Critics Awards (two for set design and 5 for lighting design), six Melbourne Green Room Awards, the inaugural 2013 Australian […]

    Read full bio
  • Toby Schmitz
    Adaptor
  • A cast of 3 including

  • Toby Schmitz
  • Creatives

  • Freya Schack-Arnott
    Composer & Musician
  • Jessica Dunn
    Sound Designer
  • Andrew Henry
    Co-Producer

Information
for schools

  • Book your performance

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    TERM three

    See this play for:
    PERFORMANCE
    INTERTEXTUALITY

    Recommended for Years 10 – 12

    Curriculum Links

    Drama
    Stage 5
    • Appreciating
      (Outcomes 5.3.1, 5.3.2)
    Stage 6
    Preliminary
    • Improvisation, Playbuilding, Acting (Outcomes P1.7, P1.8, P2.1, P2.2, P2.6, P3.1)
    • Elements of Production in Performance
      (Outcomes P2.6, P3.1, P3.2)
    • Theatrical Traditions and Performance Styles
      (Outcomes P2.6, P3.1, P3.2)
    HSC
    • Individual Project: Performance, Design
    ENGLISH
    Stage 6 (HSC)
    • Texts and Human Experiences (Common Module) (related text)
    ENGLISH EXTENSION 1
    Stage 6
    • Elective 4: Literary Mindscapes (related text)

    Schools Performances

    All schools performances are followed by a Q&A session with the cast.
    • Wed, 6 Aug 2025 11:30am

    Tickets are only $25 per student with one complimentary teacher ticket for every ten students booked.

    Evening and Matinee Performances

    School groups can book any general public performance. Book our Thursday 1PM matinees for the schools performance price of $25 per ticket, or an evening performance from $45 per student.

    What to expect

    Belvoir creates for a wide audience and our productions may contain mature content. Accurate information about productions including running times and content is available once rehearsals have begun.

    Contact Us

    For more information about our education programs, please get in touch.

    Head of Education Jane May
    Education Coordinator Claudia Ware
    +61 (2) 8396 6241

    Book your performance

    Complete this form to request tickets for Grief is the Thing with Feathers
    Want to book multiple productions? Head to our full Schools Booking request

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