The Conference of The Birds is an allegorical poem by Farid Uddi Attar adapted for the stage by Peter Brook and Jean-Claude Carriere. The birds of the world embark on a journey to seek their spiritual king, the Simorgh, to answer all their questions and doubts; only to discover at the end that the Simorgh resides within themselves.
This staging, realized by director Jeremiah Choy, pays tribute to an earlier landmark production, created by theatre luminary the late William Teo who founded Asia-in-Theatre Research Centre. The original production was performed in a disused warehouse 20 years ago, now the site of the Singapore Repertory Theatre. This staging follows William Teo’s original direction, not only recalls the work of a much
loved theatre director (departed in 2001); it is also significant in that many actors and designers working in theatre today made a start in their careers in the original production.
On the 10th anniversary of William Teo's passing and the 20th anniversary of that first production of The Conference of the Birds, original cast member Jeremiah Choy reconstructs that same performance with a company comprised of a mix of original cast and new generation of artists, re-connecting this generation of performers and audiences with the work of an important theatre company during a watershed period of Singapore’s evolving theatre history.