Beautiful Blackbird

Long ago, Blackbird was voted the most beautiful bird in the forest. The other birds, red, yellow, blue, and green, admired Blackbird and begged Blackbird to paint their feathers with a touch of black so they could be beautiful too.

Ashley Bryan’s adaptation of a tale from the Ila-speaking people of Zambia resonates both with rhythm and the tale’s universal meanings—appreciating one’s heritage and discovering the beauty within.

Shake your tail feathers along with Ringdove, Pink, and Blackbird in this interactive theatre production for the very young.  

Beautiful Blackbird is presented in partnership with the Beautiful Blackbird Children’s Book Festival, Indigo Arts Alliance, Portland Ovations, and the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine (CMTM). Each unique, family-friendly experience is a theatrical adaptation of Ashley Bryan's beloved children's book Beautiful Blackbird. CMTM will present a stage play for the very young in September and October, and Ovations will present a lively concert in November, all in coordination with the Beautiful Blackbird Children's Book Festival in September.