The Kindest Bird in the Forest

“In this forest you’re never alone. Bienvenidos! Welcome to our home!” sang students in the opening number of the Class I play The Bird of One Thousand Colors. The annual Class I play is a time-honored tradition that is designed to unite Winsor’s incoming class of students and build community. Working together, all 30 students spend their very first semester preparing for the performance. 

Pairs of birds in colorful attire took the stage in the David E. and Stacey L. Goel Theater—flamingos in hot pink dresses and pale pink cowboy hats, red and blue macaws in tracksuits and backwards baseball caps.

An original play written by Theater Director Jeremy Johnson, The Bird of One Thousand Colors is inspired by a Cuban folktale in the book Tales Our Abuelitas Told: A Hispanic Folktale Collection by F. Isabel Campoy and Alma Flor Ada. The Class I play is often a world premier lovingly built from scratch by Winsor faculty, and this year was no exception. 

In addition to the script written by Mr. Johnson, the play featured original music by Choral Director Andrew Marshall, choreography by Performing Arts Faculty Ann-Marie Ciaraldi, costumes by Performing Arts Faculty Jessica Pribble, and set and lighting design by Technical Theater Director Andres Puigbo and Theater Assistant Anna Vogler. For the last few years, the production has also been a collaboration with the school librarians. In fact, it was Assistant Director of the Virginia Wing Library Danielle Smogard who suggested Mr. Johnson adapt a story from Tales Our Abuelitas Told for the Class I play. 

With parrots, quetzals, gulls, and pelicans loudly squawking that they are the superior species, the birds of the forest decide to compete in a contest to be the ruler of the birds. Known as the kindest bird in the forest, the small and colorful todies decide to bow out of the competition and instead offer their plumage to the turkeys, who are desperate to win. Narrated by the toucans and the nandus, the contest proceeds with flamingos, peacocks, and macaws all walking the runway to show off their feathers. Wearing plumage borrowed from todies and with the help from the power-hungry crows, the turkeys win the contest. 

But when the greedy turkeys refuse to return the tody’s feathers, leaving them cold and alone in the forest, the other birds go in search of their tody friends. Finding the todies bare, and remembering the tody’s many acts of kindness, each bird offers a single feather in restitution for the turkey’s betrayal. Now bedecked in feathers of all colors and from all species, the todies become “the birds of one thousand colors.”

Together the birds mutiny and overthrow the turkeys, stripping their title as ruler of the birds and instead insisting that “each one of us brings our own special flair” and “birds of a feather should flock together.” A reminder that society—even one in the forest—thrives on kindness and mutual support, not competition.

With five song and dance numbers, Mr. Marshall provided live accompaniment on the piano for the show during all-school assembly and students reprised their performance for family and friends at the end of the school day. 
Watch the recording.