Get in touch with us at birdonstage@gmail.com
Pigeon!
returns in a bold new form,
now directed for the first time
by Garrett (M. Ryan) Abrams
himself!
This extended cut, affectionately known as The Cactus Cut, brings new depth, twisted humor, and haunting revelations to the award-winning script, delivering an even more surreal and unsettling theatrical experience.
SYNOPSIS:
From the mind of Garrett (M. Ryan) Abrams, Pigeon! follows John, an outcast in North York, desperate to escape his isolation. Living in the shadow of the Holocaust and burdened by an inherited weight he cannot define, he takes fate into his own hands, building himself a companion, no matter the cost. But as his creation takes shape, John is forced to confront the horrors lurking beneath his own skin. A darkly surreal tale of loneliness, obsession, and the things we destroy in our search for connection.
Toronto Show August 21-24 2025
GET YOUR PIGEON! TICKETS NOW!
PIGEON! is not your average night at the theatre.
It’s weird. It’s wonderful. It's deeply human.
If Beckett and Hitchcock had a lovechild and raised it in an apartment in North York…You’d get PIGEON!
With a kaleidoscope of characters and a darkly funny, unexpectedly emotional edge, PIGEON! is part fever dream, part therapy session, and part theatrical dare.
📍 August 21–24, 2025
📍 The Assembly Theatre
Come for the pigeons. Stay for the chaos.
Whether you’re a die-hard theatre lover or just looking for something unlike anything you’ve ever seen PIGEON! is your show.
Grab your ticket. Bring a friend. Support indie art.
MEET THE CREATIVE TEAM & CAST
Garrett M. Ryan Abrams
Garrett M. Ryan Abrams is a Northern Ontarian playwright, director, dramaturg, and arts advocate proudly based in Sault Ste. Marie.He is especially excited to return to Pigeon!, one of the first plays he ever wrote, originally drafted just before graduating high school. The script went on to win the PlayWorks competition and was first staged as a workshop production in Lincoln, Nebraska… though not before he had to confirm he was of sound mind.This production marks a full-circle moment, as it’s the first time he’s directing the show himself. With an extended cut never before staged and an incredible cast and team behind it, he believes this version comes closest to the raw, unnerving vision first scribbled on a North Bay city bus by a teenager armed with twisted ideas and no formal training to talk him out of them.
Robert Leitner
Robert Leitner is a Jewish actor, lighting designer, and the current Artistic Producer of Bird on Stage Productions, currently residing in Toronto. Robert has always understood the necessity for storytelling, and hopes that through performance he can share the importance with everyone else as well. Robert joined the Bird on Stage Productions team in 2018, originally just as an actor. Since then, Robert has been consistently acting and doing lighting design for the company's productions, while also working alongside our AD, Garrett M. Ryan, to create boundary-pushing, innovative theatre. “Pigeon!” means the world to Robert, as it was one of the first shows he ever did with Bird on Stage back in 2019. Bringing it back, a full 6 years later, has been a full circle moment, for not just Robert, but the company as a whole.We invite you to join us for a production that is truly one of a kind. From Clown, to heart wrenching drama, to a puppet show, come and delve into the world of John, or as it’s known in the dive bars, the whorehouses, and the alleyways: Pigeon!
Tipelo Hildebrand
Tipelo Hildebrand is a Toronto-based neurodiverse actor and creator, deeply passionate about storytelling that connects, challenges, and transforms. She is thrilled to be playing a number of roles in PIGEON! including Mother, and couldn’t be more grateful to bring this dark and deeply human play to life alongside such an extraordinary ensemble. As the Head of Marketing & Outreach for Bird On Stage Productions, Tipelo is proud to help build something that’s more than a theatre company, a true community for indie artists and emerging voices. This play means the world to her, not just as a performer, but as a builder of space for scrappy, daring work. Being part of a small team trying to do big, brave things has shown her how powerful theatre can be when it comes from the margins. PIGEON! is more than just a play; it’s a love letter to all the messy, hurting, beautiful people trying to be understood. A graduate of York University’s BFA Acting Conservatory, whether onstage or behind the scenes, she is committed to creating work that makes people feel a little less alone.
Natalie Pepe-Francis
Hailing from Delaware Ontario, Natalie is a Toronto based actor, singer, and physical performer.Starting off her career, Natalie was a member of the Original Kids Theatre Company where herlove for performance began. Natalie started off in musical theatres where she received andcontinues to receive vocal training with Rick Kish. She has worked as an actor with The StratfordFestival in the Sound of Music as Brighitta, John Gabriel Berkman as Freida, The Grand Theatre’sTitanic as Kate McGowan, as well as several commercials and short films.Natalie is a York University Acting Conservatory graduate where she received classical theatreand film training.Natalie is thrilled to be a part of the cast of Pigeon, playing the roles of Agnus and Rabbialongside her amazing castmates in her Assembly Theatre debut!
Alice Marin
Alice is a multidisciplinary artist with experience in film and theatre in a variety of technical and creative roles, including as an actor. From a young age, she fostered her love for the performing arts through extracurricular theatre and at school, participating in plays like Macbeth, The Dining Room, and Legally Blonde, among others. After completing her bachelor of arts in media production at TMU and acting in multiple student films, Alice is eager to return to the stage in Pigeon!
