Ferdo, the Giant Bird

The performance Ferdo, the Giant Bird is based on a wordless picture book with the same title by Andreja Peklar. For the book, she received numerous Slovenian and international awards, including the Kristina Brenkova Award, the Hinko Smrekar Distinction. The picture book was also selected for the IBBY Honour List.

The author tells the story only through images, which allows young readers to read it in their own way. Within exceptional illustrations, without any written words, everyone can find their emphases and symbols.

The story is about Ferdo, a bird who is too big for the milieu in which he lives. But Ferdo does not notice that he differs from others. Moreover, he uses his differentness to help smaller than himself. He comes to the aid of chimney cleaners, assists in the construction of new buildings … He is happy to help anyone who needs his differentness. Tired and thirsty, he unintentionally drinks the whole pond. People and animals get angry; they quickly forget about his good deeds and banish him from their town. Lonely Ferdo wanders the world alone, and then he meets a tiny bird who helps him to fill the empty pond …

Ferdo, the Giant Bird is a story full of symbols and a story about hugeness and smallness, generosity and selfishness, and about the joy awakened by mutual help.

In the staging, directress Katja Povše presents her vision of the story through the eyes of the Vagabond. The Vagabond nostalgically remembers the old days, marked by a giant bird above the trees, children's laughter in the park and scoops of unforgettable ice cream …