For the birds
Book and lyrics by Lauren Taslitz
Music by Jacob Fjeldheim
In protest over the Federal Government’s taking of the last privately owned cattle ranch in Sandhill County, Oregon, charismatic rancher Wes Johnson leads a peaceful takeover of the Sandhill Wildlife Refuge and refuses to leave until the Feds agree to “return the land to the people.” As the takeover becomes national news and the refuge attracts both supporters and opponents, the threat of violence draws nearer. Based on the events of winter 2016 and featuring a score equal parts folk and contemporary ballet, FOR THE BIRDS is a sprawling romantic drama scrutinizing America’s undervaluing of the unfamiliar and possessiveness over land and nature.