Synopsis

A derelict cabin on the edge of a fenland marsh, where the boundary between reality and the ethereal blurs

Jess and Griffin, two former university gardeners, eke out a meagre existence in a ramshackle cabin on the edge of a fenland marsh. Their already precarious lives are upended by the arrival of Bolla, a mysterious ex-convict with a penchant for poetry, and the sighting of a rare night heron that draws birdwatchers from across Europe. As the lines between truth and fiction blur, the characters grapple with past sins, unfulfilled dreams, and the desperate hope for redemption.

Butterworth’s richly layered text weaves together themes of faith, guilt, and the search for meaning in a world teetering on the edge of chaos. The play’s darkly comic tone shifts seamlessly to moments of stark brutality and surprising tenderness. With its lyrical dialogue and atmospheric setting, The Night Heron creates a mesmerising dreamscape where the mundane and the mystical collide, leaving the audience to question the nature of reality and the power of belief.