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The Whale's Tale Show

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 call out - 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 have done two Arts Council Funded R&Ds, developing the story, the puppets, and working with communities.

We have 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 have 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 are all crew - all hands on deck!

In the foreground, a puppet of a whale made from cardboard and bubble wrap. It is supported on long sticks by a puppeteer in the background.

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

A photo of fishing boats tied up in a harbour on a sunny day. In the foreground, a boat is moored with fishing nets spilling over it's sides and the winches for hauling in nets clearly visible. In the background, white masts of sailing boats cluster on the horizon.

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

Here are some photos of our Research and Development week in March 2024 at the Little Angel Theatre. The photographer is Sian Herbert.

R&D Gallery

Anchor 1

In the foreground a puppeteer in a woolly jumper holds a prototype whale puppet made from cardboard and foam. It has a long, curving body, wide flippers and a tail which flips upwards. In the background is a tall structure topped with a cardboard shape resembling the tail of the whale.

Emily Dyble with protoype whale made by Amber Donovan Kahn. Photo by Sian Herbert

In the foreground, a prototype puppet of a little girl balances on one leg. She is made of carboard and rope, with an orange dress and messy blue and orange hair. She is supported by three puppeteers who hold her arms and legs in position

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

In the foreground two performers, Bori and Emily, stand side by side. They are both wearing woolly jumpers. Bori has her hand to her brow as if peering into the distance, and Emily is holding a bucket. In the background a third performer, Jess, is reaching up to attach a rope to a tall structure in the shape of a whale's tail.

Three people are gathered around a large piece of paper. On the left, Bori, in an orange jumper, crouches and smiles thoughtfully. In the middle, Edie, with short pink hair, is smiling as she writes on the paper. On the right, Nicole, with long brown hair, leans forward curiously.

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

Bori Mezo, Emily Dyble and Jess Shead. Photo by Sian Herbert.

Performance Gallery

Below are some photos from our first live performances at National Marine Aquarium in 2024. The photos were taken by Dom Moore.

Performance Gallery

4 performers on stage around a puppet of a whale. One performer is throwing confetti in the air, while another flies a puppet of an albatros, and the third (facing away from the camera and wearing yellow waders) plays a clarinet.

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

4 perfomers surround a marimba in a brightly lit space. They are dressed as fishermen, singing and dancing. One of them holds a puppet of a child in a yellow jumper, which is standing on top of the marimba. In the background are fishing nets and assorted baskets and ropes.

Emily Dyble, Jess Shead with Grace puppet, Mary Johnson and Emma Longthorne in Deck 5 space.

Two performers hold puppets of whales on long rods above them. One puppet is a small baby whale, and the other is much larger. They are facing each other, and in the background are fishing nets, percussion instruments, baskets and ropes.

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

4 performers dressed as fishermen having a chaotic fight with some flip-flops. One performer is playing a ukulele, while two sprawl on the floor, and one tries to seperate them.

Mary Johnson playing ukulele, Emma Longthorne, Emily Dyble and Jess Shead.

Two puppeteers with a puppet of a mother and a child standing on either side of a structure representing the mast of a ship. Both puppets have blue rope for hair.

Emma Longthorne with Mum puppet, and Jess Shead with Grace puppet.

4 performers dressed as fishermen stand in a clump, frowning out as if peering into the horizon. One of them points a ukulele towards the front .

Emma Longthorne as Moshi, Mary Johnson as Mack, Jess Shead as Sid, and Emily Dyble as Jamie.

A wide shot of a performance in an aquarium. On the left, an audience sits watching the show. Behind them is a huge tank of fish. Above the stage is a large model of a whale. On the stage, the performers move around with puppets while one plays a clarinet.

Our performance in the Eddystone space at the National Marine Aquarium, where the tank of native fish can be seen in the background.

Meet The Crew

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

Edie, a young woman with short pink hair kneels on the floor, smiling to the side. She is dressed in red and pink, with hoop earrings, and holding a purple pen.

Edie Edmundson

Writer and Director

Nicole, a woman with curly brown hair wearing a pale fleece, sits cross legged on the floor. She is looking upwards and seems to be speaking.

Nicole Redfern

Assistant Director

A performer with Asian heritage, wearing a colourful hat and stripy trousers holds a puppet on her shoulder with arm outstretched. She has a big smile on her face as if singing a happy song.

Jess Shead

Performer and Co-Creator

Amber, a young woman with blonde hair wearing a black t-shirt holds up a prototype puppet of a whale made of cardboard. The puppet is suspended on long poles over her head, and she is looking up at it.

Amber Donovan Kahn

Designer and Maker

Lizzy, a woman with long brown hair dressed in a purple jumper, holds a guitar and smiles.

Lizzy Westcott

Composer, Sound Designer

and Musical Director

A white performer wearing an orange hat and yellow raincoat is dancing and singing with both arms outstretched.

Thea Woodrow

Creative Producer

Bori, a young woman with black hair poking out of a woolly hat and wearing a patterned jumper, stands with her hand to her forehead as if squinting into the distance. She holds a tambourine out in front of her.

Bori Mezo

Performer and Co-Creator

Emily Dyble

Performer and Co-Creator

A white woman performer wearing a wooly hat and yellow waders sits on a wooden crate. She is tuning a ukulele and squinting as if listening to the sound.

Mary Johnson

Performer, Co-Arranger of Music,

and Co-Creator

A white woman performer wearing a yellow hat and a long coat looks out to the audience with a dramtic expression. She is holding out a flip flop, on which stands a puppet of a child supported by two other performers.

Emma Longthorne

Rachel Warr

Louise Fryer

Performer and Co-Creator

Dramaturgical Support

Access Consultant

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