The Whale’s Tale : ‘All Hands On Deck’ In Britain’s Ocean City
‘The Whale's Tale’ is a new theatre show and workshop for family audiences about whales and coastal communities. Through puppetry, live music and playful yet heartfelt storytelling, ‘The Whale’s Tale’ communicates the importance of protecting the Oceans we all rely on.
Entertaining and inspiring, the show and associated drama workshop will encourage and empower audiences to work together. ‘The Whale’s Tale’ calls an ‘all hands on deck’ for the Ocean because we are all crew!
‘I first dreamt up the project after reading about critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whales - so-called because they were the 'right' whale to hunt, and now threatened by noise pollution, ship strikes and entanglement in fishing nets.’
~ Edie Edmundson, Writer and Director
From the Sea …. To the Stage!
‘The Whale’s Tale’ is a fun and educational show with an innovative twist! Reclaimed fishing nets from the sea have been used in the design of the stage set and puppets. This special element helps to heighten the Show’s serious message about coastal communities and critically endangered whales and what can be done to help protect them.
DEVELOPING ‘THE WHALE’S TALE’
From the days of commercial whaling to the contemporary issues of climate change, ghost nets and micro-plastics, whales continue to face numerous threats. These hazards are all interconnected, enmeshed and intersected like the knots in a fishing net.
Coastal communities are particularly vulnerable to climate change and are at the centre of this tale. Home to the UK’s only National Marine Park, Britain’s Ocean City of Plymouth is the ideal backdrop for this special series of performances and workshops.
Along with her crew, Writer and Director Edie Edmundson has conducted two Research and Development periods in London and with communities in Plymouth to develop the concept of ‘The Whale’s Tale’.
The performance plot, the script and the unforgettable characters starring in ‘The Whale’s Tale’ have evolved from this initial research. Collaborating with school children, whale scientists and marine specialists from Plymouth University along with a variety of marine conservation charities, this ground – or rather sea-breaking (!) - project offers a visionary and imaginative approach to issues which connect us all.
Edie and her team have also collaborated with fishers and environmental campaigners from Brixham Harbour. The Ocean Recovery Project is Britain’s only trawl net recycling scheme and is based at Brixham Harbour. Here, reclaimed fishing gear collected by volunteers from the UK’s beaches and open seas is sorted and processed to be recycled into plastic pellets. Some of the ‘ghost’ nets and materials have been ingeniously re-purposed in ‘The Whale’s Tale’ in the form of stage props and in the design of the puppets themselves!
Coinciding with The Box’s exhibition ‘Planet Ocean’ ‘The Whale’s Tale’ will highlight the problems whales face in a memorable and engaging way, empowering audiences of all ages to become advocates for the future of the world’s Oceans and seas!
PUPPETS A-PART:
We spoke with Amber Donovan about making the show’s puppets:
‘The design process of ‘The Whale's Tale’ has taken a lot of inspiration from materials found at sea, from natural organic sources to the abundance of marine waste abandoned from the fishing industry and other human actions. Organisations like the Ocean Recovery Project in Devon work with local communities to find ways to recover and recycle ocean plastics. We have been working with them to source materials to create the world of 'The Whale's Tale' and its inhabitants.
The 10 puppets in the show are all represented in different scales. Using a combination of found objects and reclaimed materials, creating each puppet has been a fascinating exploration to discover and realise the look, feel and movements of each character.
Building the whales has been a particular challenge. It made sense to start with the bare bones of the puppet and build outwards, investigating and discovering the recognisable elements of a humpback whale.
What is its essence? What are the most important movements and how can they be achieved in the simplest way?
Although whales are massive, solid and extremely heavy creatures they are also weightless in water. I think for this reason the fishing nets are a great material to work with, as they have an airiness, and translucency.’
We look forward to seeing the whales and inhabitants of the ‘The Whale’s Tale’s watery world in action!
~ Meet Grace! - Character Profile
Grace is the smaller of the two main characters in ‘The Whale’s Tale’ (the other is a whale!) but she is no less mighty for her size!
Grace is fascinated by the sea and spends her days jumping in rock pools and squelching through seaweed.
“I love to splash and I love to swim…
Don’t care if it’s chilly, I’ll jump right in!”
Grace lives with her mum in a fishing village. However, the village has run out of fish and the whales which once played in the bay have disappeared. Now the village is full of empty nets and boats with holes. Grace’s mum mourns these changes: “It isn’t just our fish we’ve lost, we’ve lost our hearts and souls.”
Something connects the fish, the whales and the fishers, but what?
Grace is on a mission to find out in Plymouth this October!
Join Grace and her mum at the dates and times listed below, it’s going to be a-whale of a time!
AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT
Vision is limited under the water and whales use sound to navigate and communicate with one another. However, noise pollution from human activities makes this much more difficult.
Edie therefore felt it was important to ensure that ‘The Whale’s Tale’ Show is accessible to those for whom vision is not their primary way of experiencing the world.
The creative team have worked closely with access consultant Dr Louise Fryer to ensure that the show is accessible to Blind and Visually Impaired audiences. ‘The Whale’s Tale’ will feature an Integrated Audio Description along with a Touch Tour for anyone who may find it useful.
You may join the Touch Tour before the show. This is your chance to get familiar with the set, puppets and characters. You'll be able to feel the textures of the materials that have been used, hear voices and sounds from the show and get a sense of the stage space.
Touch Tours will take place for half an hour at the times listed below. If you would like to attend a Touch Tour please book your free ticket alongside your main ticket for the performance on the checkout page.
You can also hear an audio version of this article here!
‘THE WHALE’S TALE’ PERFORMANCE DATES
Friday 25th October
The National Marine Aquarium
1 pm (Touch Tour at 12 noon)
Free to attend with standard aquarium entrance price, but booking is essential. Book Here!
Saturday 26th October
The National Marine Aquarium
1 pm (Touch Tour at 12 noon)
Free to attend with standard aquarium entrance price, but booking is essential. Book Here!
Sunday 27th October
The National Marine Aquarium
1 pm (Touch Tour at 12 noon)
Free to attend with standard aquarium entrance price, but booking is essential. Book Here!
Sunday 27th October
The National Marine Aquarium, beside the Eddystone native species tank!
6:30 pm (Touch Tour at 5:30 pm)
Ticketed at £10 per adult, £8 per child, Family (2x2), £30 after standard aquarium entrance price. Book Here!
Wednesday 30th October
The House, The Arts Institute, University of Plymouth
2 pm (Touch Tour at 1 pm) with post-show discussion afterwards
Ticketed at: £10 full price, £7 concession, free for under 18s and University of Plymouth students. Book Here!
‘THE WHALE’S TALE’ WORKSHOP
Ahoy there! Calling all Ocean Explorers!
Following the success of ‘The Whale’s Tale’ workshops back in September as part of Sea Fest weekend, it’s an ‘all aboard!’ for a special workshop during October Half Term!
Come join the watery world of ‘The Whale’s Tale’ at 11 am on Wednesday 30th October at The House, Arts Institute.
£5 per child, accompanying adult free. Book Here!
Learn about the whales of our Oceans, how they communicate with each other, the dangers they are facing and how we can work together to help protect them!
All hands on deck for puppetry, games and more! Think up solutions to problems and sing sea shanties in support of the Oceans we all rely on!
With a little break in the middle, this workshop is suitable for Ocean Explorers aged 5+. Crew members are required to bring their adult along with them.
Booking is essential to attend this workshop, please book your tickets here. Don’t forget to book both your adult and child tickets.
‘The Whales Tale’ Show is looking forward to you joining the sea-sprayed crew on this entertaining voyage!
MEET THE CREW
AT THE HELM: EDIE EDMUNDSON – WRITER AND DIRECTOR
‘I grew up in Totnes, down the road from Plymouth, and I'm so excited to open this show in my home county. Plymouth is the perfect place because it is the UK's Ocean City and the first National Marine Park. And what better venue to start with than the National Marine Aquarium, run by the Ocean Conservation Trust. To tell this sea story in a place filled with fish, right on the harbourside....it's going to be magical!’
Edie and her team have been hard at work over the last few weeks rehearsing for ‘The Whale’s Tale’ Show. Check out the Made In Plymouth and The Whale’s Tale Instagram feeds for some snippets of the team rehearsing!
They’re keeping it all a little under wraps, but we can’t wait to see the show!!
Writer and Director - Edie Edmundson
Assistant Director - Nicole Redfern
Musical Director and Composer - Lizzy Westcott
Music Co-arranger and Performer - Mary Johnson
Designer and Maker - Amber Donovan Kahn
Technical Stage Manager - Josephine Tremelling
Puppeteers, Performers and Co-creators - Emily Dyble, Jess Shead, Emma Longthorne, Bori Mezo
Access Consultant - Dr Louise Fryer
Dramaturgical Support - Rachel Warr
Edie and her crew have worked with a range of charitable organisations, both here in Plymouth and further a-wave to make ‘The Whale’s Tale’.
Click the links below to find out more!
Financial Partners
Funded by Arts Council England
Supported by Whale and Dolphin Conservation
Creative/Community Partners
Whale and Dolphin Conservation
Plymouth University Marine Institute