The Final Recordings of an Almost Extinct Bird

Story

Fred has a lot on his mind. The origins of the universe, for starters. The fabric of space-time, too. The formation of the Earth, plate tectonics, the fossil record, gravitational waves, dark matter, winding valley roads, campfires, pottery cafes—the list goes on and on. There’s also the matter of the giant salty egg, the man in the comfy blue chair, and the burning question: “Is this good? What I’m doing? With my time?”

The show was developed over a three-year period, which included fascinating collaborations and research conducted with astrophysicists, palaeontologists, archeologists, geologists, and cosmologists.

It is an intimate and engaging deep-dive into the spiralling psyche of a person navigating chasms of grief, and a reckoning with climate anxiety, atheism, and the universe.

Performed, composed and sound designed by Stewart Legere, with video and projection by Christian Ludwig Hansen, lighting by Jessica Lewis, costumes, set and props by Leesa Hamilton, and directed by Ben Stone, “Final Recordings” is where TED Talk, sob story, and cottagecore collide.

The Final Recordings of an Almost Extinct Bird premiered at Eastern Front Theatre's 2025 Stages Theatre Festival

Press

From Amanda Campbell of "TWISI Theatre and Music Blog"

Company

Ben Stone - director

Stewart Legere - performer

Ben Stone and Stewart Legere - playwrights

Fundy Geological Museum, Regan Maloney - science consultant

Stewart Legere - composer

Christian Ludwig Hansen - projection design

Stewart Legere - sound design

Jess Lewis - lighting and set design

Leesa Hamilton - costume, prop and set design

Bernie Francis - Mi'kmaw language consultant

Sophie Schade - producer

Mary Fay Coady - interim producer

Gaby Milner - FSPA student apprentice

Photos by Sergei Tsimbalenko

Photos

A black background. A ghostly, blurred image of a man in blue/purple light, seemingly screaming in agony. a man, wrapped in a colourful knit blanket, stands with his back to the camera. He is staring at a giant projection screen where fire and lava fill his view. Because of the angle of the shot, it sometimes appears as though he himself is inside the fire. A giant projection screen with an image of the night sky, dotted with millions of stars, in blue, and purple, and black. On the left of the image, a small wooden table, with a green banker's light, a small grey rock, and an open laptop. A cozy wooden armchair is pulled up to the table, with a colourful knit blanket draped over the back. These things all sit atop a circular beige jute rug. A man, dressed in black, walks away from the table. The image is over exposed, so ghostly reflections of the man cascade out of frame.