‘River Thames Whale’ Inspires New Theatre Piece
The whale that famously swam up the river Thames in 2006 has provided the inspiration for a new show, Once Upon a Thames, which will premiere at the Leicester Square Theatre next month.
verbatim text, the piece
brings together an international line up of artists working with
“multimedia, mime, dance, music, and even sand animation art in a unique
retelling of this moving tale for our times”.
The drama began on 19 January 2006, when a Northern Bottlenose whale was spotted swimming up the River Thames towards London. For three days
the media was transfixed by her journey into the city, with people
lining the banks of the river and literally jumping into the water to
try and save her.
Running from 15 to 17 October 2010 ahead of a European tour, the show is being presented by international performing arts company Lunidea, helmed by artistic director Cassimo. The international ensemble features Cassimo, Svetlana Biba, Phildel, Rachel Riveros and veteran journalist David Brewerton.
According to press material, “This beautiful story of a young whale who as if by magic has broken
through the Thames barrier, has inspired the creation of this parable – a
metaphor for the human condition. It explores the universal struggle,
the dreams and disillusions, love and fear, hopes and dilemmas we all
face, the risks we take in or our decisions to play safe… and sometimes
the traps we fall into – just as the whale that found herself trapped in
the Thames.”
