About The Show

The Voyage So Far

'The Whale's Tale' is a new theatre show and workshop for family audiences about whales, coastal communities, and protecting the oceans we all rely on.

 

It uses puppetry, original music and playful storytelling to spread the message - all hands on deck for the ocean!


Theatre maker Edie Edmundson first dreamt up the project after reading about critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whales - so-called because they were the 'right' whale to hunt - who are now threatened by noise pollution, ship strikes and entanglement in fishing nets. Edie began to think about our relationship with whales, and the ocean, from the days of whaling to the modern day with fossil fuels and plastic.

 

The more she researched, the more she realised how interconnected these stories are. And coastal communities - particularly vulnerable to climate change - are at the centre of the story then and now. That's why she knew the project had to begin near the coast, in Plymouth, the UK's Ocean City!

We did two Arts Council Funded R&Ds, developing the story, the puppets, and working with communities. We worked with whale scientists from Plymouth University, fishers from Brixham Quay, children from Plymouth, global conservation charities, and environmental campaigners who travel the UK from their base in Brixham Harbour, gathering marine waste.

 

We also worked with an access consultant, Dr Louise Fryer, to make our show accessible to Blind and Visually Impaired audiences, with Integrated Audio Description and a touch tour. You can find her book by clicking here. 

We premiered the show in October 2024 at the National Marine Aquarium and The House Theatre in Plymouth.

We are all crew - all hands on deck!

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A puppeteer in colourful jumper holds a prototype puppet of a whale towards the camera. The puppet is made of cardboard and bubble wrap, and is supported by long rods which the puppeteer holds between her fingers.

Emily Dyble with a prototype puppet made by Amber Donovan Kahn. Photo by Sian Herbert.

A photo of fishing boats moored in a harbour on a sunny day. In the foreground is a fishing boat with nets and rigging and a seagull perched on top. In the background are the masts of sailing boats moored further away.

The fishing boats of Brixham. Photo by Edie Edmundson

Videos

Below this text is a video from our first Research and Development week. Click here for a text description of the video.

Video by Joel Court

Below this text is a video from our second Research and Development week. Click here for a text description of the video.

Video by Joel Court

R&D Gallery

Below is a selection of photos from our R&D at Little Angel Theatre in March 2024. The photographer is Sian Herbert.

Three puppeteers hold a puppet of a child in an orange dress who is balancing on one leg. The puppet is made of cardboard and rope, with blue and orange spiky hair. The puppeteers support her arms, legs and head to keep her in position.

Emily Dyble, Bori Mezö and Jess Shead with a prototype puppet made by Amber Donovan Kahn. Photo by Sian Herbert.

Three people sitting on the floor around a large piece of paper. One of them, with short pink hair, is writing on the paper and smiling as the others look on. Other people's legs are standing in the background.

Bori Mezö, Edie Edmundson and Nicole Redfern. Photo by Sian Herbert.

A puppeteer holds a prototype puppet of a whale. It is wider than her body, and she holds both the head and the tail. The puppet is made from cardboard and foam. In the background is a cardboard whale's tail atop a pole resembling a ship's mast.

Emily Dyble with a prototype puppet made by Amber Donovan Kahn. Photo by Sian Herbert.

Two performers stand in front of the 'ship's mast' pole with a cardboard whale's tale atop it. One of the performers is holding a tambourine and shading her eyes as if peering out to sea. The other performer is holding a bucket and singing.

Bori Mezö and Emily Dyble. Photo by Sian Herbert.

Performance Gallery

Below is a selection of photos from our performance at the National Marine Aquarium in October 2024. The photographer is Dom Moore.

A performer throws confetti in the air over a whale puppet held by a crouching puppeteer. Above them, a puppeteer holds an albatross puppet, and a fourth performer in yellow waders stands with her back to the camera.

Emily Dyble (holding whale), Jess Shead, Emma Longthorne and Mary Johnson in the Eddystone Space.

Two puppeteers hold whale puppets on long rods from below. The puppets face each other, and one is much smaller than the other. Around them can be seen fishing nets, percussion instruments, and the heads of audience members in the foreground.

Emily Dyble with small whale, and Emma Longthorne with mother whale in Eddystone Space.

Two puppeteers hold a puppet of a mother and child. The child is perched on the cross section of a mast-like structure, with fishing nets cascading down on either side.

Emma Longhtorne with Mum puppet and Jess Shead with Grace puppet in Deck 5 at the NMA.

Four performers stand beside and behind a marimba. The two on either side are dancing. One performer holds a puppet of a child standing on top of the marimba, and the fourth performer holds the sticks for playing the marimba in the air triumphantly.

Emily Dyble, Jess Shead, Mary Johnson and Emma Longhtorn in Deck 5 at National Marine Aquarium.

Three performers tumble over each other in a fight, one of them brandishing a flip flop. A fourth performer is playing a ukulele and shouting. In the background are fishing nets and a marimba, with audience in the foreground.

Mary Johnson, Emma Longthorne, Emily Dyble and Jess Shead in Deck 5 at National Marine Aquarium.

Four performers dressed as fishermen stand close together, frowning as if gazing out to sea. One of them points forwards with a ukulele.

Emma Longthorne, Mary Johnson, Jess Shead and Emily Dyble in the Eddystone Space.

A wide shot of a performance in an aquarium. Two performers hold puppets, and one is playing a clarinet. In the background is a large tank with fish swimming, and audience are watching the show.

A wide shot of the show in the Eddystone Space at the NMA.

Meet the Crew

Like any crew, we each bring different skills to the project.

A woman with short pink hair and hoop earrings is kneeling on the floor and smiling. She is wearing a red dress and pink jumper and holding a pen.

Edie Edmundson  - Writer and Director

A woman with short blond hair holds a cardboard whale puppet above her head on long poles. She is wearing a black t-shirt with colourful writing on it.

Amber Donovan Kahn - Designer and Maker

A woman with curly brown hair sits on the floor and is speaking to someone above her. She is wearing a white fleecey jumper.
A woman in a long coat and yellow hat talks to a puppet of a child whom she is supporting on a flip flop. The woman is gesturing dramatically.

Nicole Redfern - Assistant Director

Emma Longthorne - Performer and Co-Creator

A woman of Chinese heritage stands holding a puppet of a child on her should. She is singing and smiling, wearing a colourful hat and stripy trousers.

Jess Shead - Performer and Co-Creator

Two women stand side by side. One (Bori) is shading her eyes as if peering into the distance. The other is holding a bucket and singing.

Bori Mezö - Performer and Co-Creator

A woman with long brown hair holds a guitar and smiles. She is wearing glasses and a purple jumper.

Elizabeth Westcott - Composer, Sound Designer and Musical Director

Two women stand beside a marimba. One (Emily) is dancing and wearing a yellow coat and orange hat. The other is holding a puppet of a child standing on the edge of a marimba.
A woman dressed in yellow waders sits on a crate. She is tuning a ukulele and pulling a face as if listening intently to the sound.

Emily Dyble - Performer and Co-creator

Mary Johnson - Performer, Co-Arranger of Music, and Co-Creator

Thea Woodrow - Creative Producer

Dr Louise Fryer - Access Consultant for Integrated Audio Desciption

Rachel Warr - Dramaturgical Support