Millie is a bird who was found on the ground as a fledgling and was hand reared to be released to be a wild bird when she became an adult. She did not understand that she was a free bird. Instead of hanging in the air with all the other Black kites that visit Broome annually, she played with pet dogs on the beach and begged food from their owners and returned to her childhood home to accept free feeds of dead mice from the people who reared her. Everyone in town knew her and would offer her cuddles as they fed her junk food.
One day the town went onto red alert as a cyclone was approaching. She took shelter on a cruise liner leaving Broome, where she entertained people in the bar before being put into a cage and taken to a wildlife park in Bali, Indonesia, where she will live to the end of her days. A partition signed by thousands of people could not convince the Australian Government that she should come home due to the bio security laws.
We tell Millies story using a variety of puppet styles, original music and digital technology. This immersive and participatory performance invites the audience to become part of the cast and to offer advice on how to end Millies story.
The story explores concepts such as human compassion and freedom as the story of Milly unfolds across continents.
Millie … is in development in preparation to be performed at Pesta Boneka International puppet festival in Yogyakarta Indonesia and Shinju Matsuri Festival in Broome WA. Both festivals have confirmed our participation.