The Girl Whose Twin was a Bird
A play by Talia Pua
‘The Girl Whose Twin Was a Bird’ is an absurdly funny and touching coming of age story about twinhood told through puppetry and cooking (and puppets who cook!)
Twin puppets, Jena and Petra. Photo: Achmad Mirza Siregar
It’s the 5th Year Anniversary celebration of Petra Quek’s noodle stall, ‘Flying Mee Hoon Kueh’ and you’re invited! Join Petra as she cooks her signature Mee Hoon Kueh, and shares the story of how it all started.
At the end of the performance, audience members are invited to try a small serving of Mee Hoon Kueh.
Role
Playwright, Puppeteer
Premiered
Downtown Days, Queen’s Wharf, Auckland, May 2025
Duration
45 min, followed by a 30 min post show Meet, Greet and Eat
Suitable for audiences 8 years old +
Creative Team
Puppet Mentor - Jon Coddington
Dramaturge - Rachel Callinan
Development Timeline
2024
Te Hono: Connection with Playmarket; Script Advisor - Rachel Callinan
Papermoon Puppet Theatre Artist in Residence, October - November
Jena takes flight at Queen’s Wharf (Photo: Harry Mattheson)
‘The Girl whose Twin was a Bird’ (or ‘Bird Bird’ for short) is my first foray into puppetry, and my first solo performance! But I had the huge privilege of developing the show under the wings of my puppet mentor, Jon, my dramaturge, Rachel, and the team at Papermoon Puppet Theatre.
The story is inspired by my experience growing up as a twin. Specifically focussing on the period in our relationship when we began to navigate adulthood as individuals rather than a pair. For me, I remember it was quite a scary process, like I was being left behind. I had to learn that despite our growing differences, we were still twins. And that letting go of my twin didn’t mean I loved her any less.
The story brings together my love for cooking (and eating!), and is loosely inspired by my Ah Kong’s (paternal grandfather) noodle factory on Malay Street in Klang, Malaysia. The show celebrates the storytelling power of food and how it brings people together. It throws homage to the strong and vibrant hawker stall culture in Malaysia.
“The way you pulled Jena and Petra into existence was pure magic”
“Delightful and charming”
Post-show ‘Meet, Greet and Eat’ where audiences are invited to try a small serving of Mee Hoon Kueh. Photo: Harry Mattheson
Papermoon Puppet Theatre Artist Residency
Happy faces at my end of residency presentation (Photo: Achmad Mirza Siregar)
In November 2024, I completed a two month residency in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, with Papermoon Puppet Theatre. I used the residency to explore the potential of using puppetry for my new play ‘Bird Bird’. The residency culminated in a public presentation where I performed the a work in progress version of the first half of the show.
This residency was made possible with generous funding from Asia New Zealand Foundation’s Artist Practitioner’s Fund.
Read more about my residency on my blog!
