A radical reworking of Moby Dick, Herman Melville’s classic novel, will be performed on an outdoor stage in Hull in June.
The show is to be staged by The John Godber Company at the Stage @TheDock amphitheatre in the city’s Fruit Market.
This fast-paced physical production, adhering to social distancing rules with a playing time of 70 minutes and no interval, will be one of the first outdoor theatre events in the UK for more than a year.
The adaptation by playwrights John Godber and Nick Lane will transport audiences from what was Hull’s Central Dry Dock to the deck of Captain Ahab’s ship, the Pequod, in his catastrophic battle with the monster white whale, Moby Dick.
The professional cast features actors from Sproatley, Long Riston, Hornsea, Goole and former Wyke College students, acting alongside actors from the region who have appeared at the National Theatre in War Horse, Warner Brothers films, and who are currently in BBC Radio Four’s landmark series The Archers.
After a year with no work, this production offers paid employment to almost 20 local creatives, including actors, stage managers, producers, educators and designers.
C4Di in Hull’s Fruit Market.
Mr Godber said: “We are delighted to be working with Wykeland and Arts Council England on this thrilling new production and excited to be at the vanguard of getting theatre back on its feet.”
Educational and outreach work will be available digitally to accompany the production, facilitated by former students of Hull’s Archbishop Sentamu Academy, who are now studying at the prestigious Liverpool Academy for the Performing Arts, established by Sir Paul McCartney.
The production is supported by Wykeland Group, who invested £750,000 to create the amphitheatre, and Arts Council England.
Tickets cost £20 for the production, which runs from June 2 to 12. Performances start at 7pm nightly, with three matinees beginning at 4pm on June 5, 9 and 12.
Tickets are available via an Eventbrite link at www.thejohngodbercompany.co.uk.
