Strange Birds

by E. M. Lewis

When Jo and her forest ranger trainee find blood in the snow outside a remote mountain house, they suspect that something bad has happened. Can they figure out what before the storm hits? Jo’s old friend Lou might be able to help… or she might be involved herself. Strange Birds is about women, and wolves, and sisters, and secrets. What do we owe to the systems that oppress us? And how do you escape something...

When Jo and her forest ranger trainee find blood in the snow outside a remote mountain house, they suspect that something bad has happened. Can they figure out what before the storm hits? Jo’s old friend Lou might be able to help… or she might be involved herself. Strange Birds is about women, and wolves, and sisters, and secrets. What do we owe to the systems that oppress us? And how do you escape something that you carry inside you?

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Strange Birds

Character Information

The actor playing Wolf will also play Frank.
  • Lou
    The eldest “bird” sister. A painter. Her name is the French word for skylark. Tough. Solitary. The one in the family who gets things done. Her only outlet for her woundedness is her art -- which is strange and dark and full of wolves. She works on the mountain during the summer, doing seasonal guide work for fishermen and hunters -- who sometimes end up buying her paintings. Believes in making her own rules.
    29
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Phoebe
    The middle “bird” sister. Works at a hardware store in town. A people pleaser. The one in the family who tries to keep things together. Believes in following the rules.
    25
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Gwylan
    The youngest “bird” sister. Works odd jobs, intermittently, and somehow manages to get by. Her name is the Welsh word for seagull. Pretty and unpredictable. Fun and trouble. What rules?
    23
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Jo
    A forest ranger. Went to school with Lou. Dependable. Steady. Loves the natural world, and that she gets to work in it every day. She’s charged with enforcing the rules, and is entirely capable of doing so, but is also able to determine what rules to enforce and how on her own.
    29
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Whitney
    A park ranger trainee. A city girl. A free spirit. Fun and glib and inexperienced and kind of innocent. She’s never thought that hard about the rules, or who they apply to.
    22
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Wolf
    Lou’s creation, companion, inspiration, nemesis. Confident, strong, capable. Devoted to their pack.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Non-binary
  • Frank
    Gwylan’s boyfriend. Works construction, when he’s working. (Appears briefly.)
    25
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man

Development History

  • Workshop, UCSB Launch Pad, 2025
  • Reading, Fishtrap - Writers and the West, 2025
  • Reading, Fertile Ground Festival, 2024
  • Reading, UCSB Launch Pad, 2023

Awards