Pittsburgh Fringe 2025

Kiln

Crumb to a Bird Players

Genre: Drama, Fringe Theatre, New Writing, Short Plays, Theatre

Venue: Pittsburgh Glass Center

Festival: Pittsburgh Fringe

Low Down

Review

KILN by Joshua Brelsford and the Crumb to a Bird Players is an artful and abstract deep dive into familial grief, following three siblings preparing for the funeral of their father, great artist Oliver M. Verino, and showing how each of them deals with the feelings of grief. KILN is performed in a classroom in the Pittsburgh Glass Center, which in itself feels like a safe haven for artists, both new and experienced. The classroom has one wall that is almost all windows, and overlooks some other businesses and a small grassy area. I bring this up specifically to bring attention to how creatively the Crumb of a Bird Players utilized their space-both inside and out. The team uses the classroom’s overhead lighting to sort of represent ‘the real world’, and using diffused softbox lights to represent the family house/art gallery where the early half of the show takes place. It is mentioned by the characters multiple times that this house doesn’t feel like a real home, being described as ‘cold’ and having ‘a lot of places to hide’, and this really comes across with the simple yet effective lighting. The show only lasts about 40-45 minutes, and they really do not waste a single minute. The story is deeply invigorating, with enough tension to spill out of the classroom and keep audiences engaged. The Crumb of a Bird Players have an incredible amount of chemistry, and their relationships and tension feel genuine. Logan Shiller’s performance as the golden child protege, Mingus, was deeply intriguing. Mingus’s anger towards his father and his resentment towards what he deems as false art was palpable and relatable, especially now with the rise of AI art. Shiller’s portrayal felt raw, making it easy to sympathise with his point of view, but still feel a sense of confusion with the way he goes about the funeral. As Mingus’s direct foil, Felicia Reuter’s character, Bernini, starts the show as the most put together yet deeply anxious sister, trying to honor her father’s legacy through the funeral and her eulogy. Towards the latter half of the show, we see Bernini melt into the young girl who deeply seeked her father’s approval, but was left without closure after his death. Brelsford’s character, Gogle, acts as a middle ground between the real world audience and the heightened world of the Verino family. Gogle, who later reveals he goes by Ethan in his day to day, is the sort of ‘forgotten child’ who escapes his crazy childhood to lead a normal life. Brelsford’s performance is grounded, and almost feels like if any normal person got suddenly dropped into this story. He acts as a sort of camera for the audience, and in the later half, he is the one with the most interaction with the audience during the funeral. The audience participation was subtle, yet felt grounded in the reality of the show. Having the audience act as funeral goers, then get up to look out the windows to see Bernini and Mingus outside made the participation aspect feel simple and well integrated. Overall, I would highly recommend this show to most audiences. The way the team explores grief, family, and the true meaning of art is something that has really touched me in a personal way, as someone who has gone through and still goes through grief, and as a professional in the arts. This piece does a wonderful job at encapsulating the difficult family dynamics of adult siblings, and how it feels to know everything and nothing about the people who share your blood. The Crumb to a Bird Players are an incredibly talented team, and this show is a testament to their love, dedication and potential.

Published March 30, 2025 by CG Squire