A beached whale, a confused navigator, a ridiculous doctor... Whatever could be the matter?
This highly interactive and playful performance is full of riotous fun, as well as being an environmental tale to warm the hearts of the audience, and inspire them to play their part and do good in the world.
When a whale is washed up on a beach and discovered by a child, the spirit of the whale embodied as the Navigator embarks on a journey to find out what is wrong, with the dubious help of Dr Walrus.
'The Whale's Tale', presented by Born In A Taxi, will take place on World Environment Day, a fitting time to consider the themes and events that occur throughout the performance. You can watch from the shore, or immerse yourself in the slapstick!
Here, Co-Artistic Director of Born In A Taxi Carolyn Hanna answers some questions about the show.
Tell us a little bit about what kids and adults alike can expect from this show!
'The Whale's Tale' centres around a giant nine-metre whale puppet that makes you believe it is real with eyes, flippers, tongue and a tail that moves and a mouth that can swallow people whole. It's a rollicking show full of physical comedy, slapstick, audience interaction, and surprise. A tale to inspire and empower young people to love and protect their environment, reduce single-use plastics and influence their own future.
Obviously it's timely and relevant... Why do you think it's important to present these kinds of ideas to a young audience as well as the adults of 2019?
Children are the future so it's vital they feel like they have the power within their own lives to change it. This show is aimed at giving young audiences an understanding of the consequences of certain behaviours for the planet, the animals we share it with, and therefore themselves. Developing an understanding and a love for nature and animals is also important as we as humans can speak for the animals and they can't speak for themselves. Children are powerful, as any parent of a baby that cries through the night understands. The future indeed is something children of today will be dealing with and therefore have the greatest investment in.
What is World Environment Day all about?
It is about celebrating our amazing planet. It is about educating people to understanding that we share one planet and that what happens to it happens to all of us. Indiscriminate of borders, culture or wealth.
It is a United Nations vehicle encouraging awareness and action for the protection of our environment.
Image © DVW Photography
There's a chance to really get involved with the show interactively. Tell us more...
Born In A Taxi have been making interactive theatre for decades. We love how audiences engage so fully with the work and are so willing to become part of the show. This makes every show different and exciting because the cast is always different. So if you're lucky you might get to grab a shrimp helmet and dive deep into the jaws of Manilayo and live to tell the tale.
What has it been like to be a part of this show?
It's been an incredible experience to be able to make this show, thanks to a brilliant team that has helped realise our vision along with Arts Centre Melbourne and Windmill Theatre who co-commissioned it in 2009. In 2008 I saw photographs by Chris Jordan on Midway Atoll (situated in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch) of young albatross. Seeing these images of baby birds who had died of starvation with their stomachs full of plastic was shocking and pointed to a much larger problem than just birds. And so 'The Whale's Tale' was born. It wouldn't have been possible without the incredible Bryony Anderson who made the whale from a shack off-grid in NSW hinterland from recycled parachutes. Eight kilometres of thread was used in the creation of Manilayo along with a second-hand futon plus much more. This creation made from entirely recycled materials is a work of beauty and brilliance. We are proud of the work, how it is funny and moving and then surprises people when they least expect it. We hear stories from parents how their kids as young as three get the message and now pick up plastic they find on the street or beach because they don't want it ending up in Manilayo's tummy or how they refuse to buy birthday presents for friends at chain stores because they are full of plastic. The show informs them how rubbish gets washed down drains into rivers and then out to sea. Kids are way smarter than adults often give them credit for, so giving them the knowledge of how things work is empowering and will lead to children creating better solutions themselves. Creating work that has a lasting legacy in this way is incredibly satisfying as well as sharing it with other places and cultures like NZ and Korea.
How would you like audiences to react, and what will they be thinking in an ideal world as they leave the show?
It's impossible to know what people will be thinking as they leave the show but I hope they are thinking that they had great fun and a bit of a belly laugh. Then when they may have forgotten about the show and are offered a plastic bag for their shopping or plastic cutlery to eat a takeaway they surprise themselves and say no. In our ideal world we would hope that on some conscious or unconscious level they understand that using single-use plastic makes no sense when you understand the consequences. There is a statistic that if we do not change the way we consume plastic that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the sea than fish. That's a statistic no one wants to see come true.
