IF THIS TREE COULD TALK

Anne Gee Byrd listens for a voice from the past
in Mike Kenny’s lyrical world premiere

Anne Gee Byrd

Trees talk to each other. Really. Scientists have discovered that beneath our feet, trees use vast underground networks to communicate and share resources. But what if a tree decided to strike up a conversation with us?

That wonderfully fanciful question takes root in Winter’s Bench, the world premiere of a new play by Olivier Award-winning British playwright Mike Kenny, opening September 5 at 24th Street Theatre. The prospect becomes considerably more enticing with the marvelous Anne Gee Byrd at its center, accompanied onstage by flutist Shih-wei Wu and directed by 24th Street artistic director Debbie Devine.

Byrd plays Gladys, an elderly woman who returns to a park where only one ancient tree remains. As a child, she believed that tree spoke to her. A lifetime later, she is waiting to hear its voice again.

Shih-wei Wu and Anne Gee Byrd

Now, that could become awfully precious awfully fast. But Kenny—whose work can be whimsical without treating either children or adults like idiots—is using the premise to dig into considerably richer soil: memory, aging, loneliness, nature, hope and the stories we carry with us. Devine puts it nicely: “The tree isn’t magic. It represents resilience, endurance and the possibility that something lasting can still speak to us.”

The production marks the third collaboration between Kenny and 24th Street Theatre, following Walking the Tightrope and Rapunzel Alone. This time, storytelling and live music combine in a memory play that asks what happens when we stop listening—not only to nature, but to each other.

And 24th Street seems particularly well suited to the material. The company has always had a knack for creating theater that refuses to decide whether it is “for” children or adults. Winter’s Bench is recommended for ages seven and up, but its central image—an older woman returning to something she remembers from childhood—suggests a play whose meaning may shift considerably depending on how many winters you’ve accumulated yourself.

Anne Gee Byrd

Several longtime 24th Street collaborators are back as well, including composer Bradley Brough, scenic designer Keith Mitchell, video designer Matthew G. Hill, lighting designer Dan Weingarten, sound designer Nick Foran and costume designer Shannon Kennedy. All performances will feature Spanish supertitles.

There is something irresistible about the simplicity of it: one woman, one flute, one very old tree—and a question that has apparently followed Gladys for most of her life. After all those years, will the tree finally answer? I’m listening.

Anne Gee Byrd

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Winter’s Bench
24th Street Theatre
1117 West 24th St. in Los Angeles
previews August 29-September 4, 2026
runs September 5-October 25, 2026
for tickets ($10–$24; Mon Pay-What-You-Can), call 213.745.6516 or visit 24th Street Theatre

for more shows, visit Theatre in Los Angeles

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