‘Whales’ takes to the streets of Picton
‘Whales’ takes to the streets of Picton
Picton’s streets will become the setting for Wellington theatre collective, Binge Culture’s, live performance of ‘Whales’ on Sunday, November 16.
The show, which will involve local people, is part of the programme of events to launch the National Whale Centre’s Display and Development Hub in Picton.
“This street performance will be a lot of fun for both adults and children and will be typical of the sort of interactive events people can expect from our new National Whale Centre,” says NWC Trust chair, Nick Gerritsen.
The dance performance ‘Whales’ is a community-building event in which strangers on the street suddenly find themselves working together to save a pod of stranded ‘whales’ and help them back into the ocean.
Picton residents will are invited to bring a bucket and gather on the waterfront on November 16 to join in the performance. Two separate pods of 15 ‘whales’ will emerge from different locations in central Picton. As they ‘swim’ across the land, through the streets and between passers-by, they’ll sing their whale song. Then, a whale-response team will organise teams of passers-by to help save the whales who have beached themselves in the hot sun.
Binge Culture’s performance of ‘Whales’ won three awards at the NZ Fringe Festival Awards in 2013, including ‘Best in Fringe’.
The NWC Trust aims give a future to the past by telling the stories of New Zealand’s engagement with whales as well as sealing and dolphin (cetaceans) conservation efforts. The National Whale Centre will be a display and information hub linking up locally, nationally and globally with kindred organisations.
The Trust
aims to build an iconic, interactive space on Picton’s
waterfront for visitors to learn more about cetaceans and
the local area’s whaling history through temporary
exhibitions and events. The NWC’s Display and Development
Hub is phase one of its development as a national
institution based in Picton.
www.aworldwithwhales.com
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