This show invites you to explore the impact of technology on today’s world while celebrating human creativity.
Review by Carla Caruso
Have you ever had a dress you wanted to toss because it reminded you of a toxic job or the end of a friendship?
We don’t usually attribute feelings to inanimate objects, yet they often seem to carry the energy of the past.
This is a key message of Whalebone – an hour-long show staged at the Adelaide Festival Centre’s Space Theatre as part of the DreamBIG Children’s Festival.
Whalebone follows a solitary worker whose top-secret job is to gather human stories from discarded objects and archive the positive memories in a special depository.
Such objects range from a retro bathing cap to an apple peeler and a whalebone artefact – the show’s namesake. Their memories frequently come to life before the audience’s eyes as black-and-white footage on a TV screen.
The worker – portrayed by creator and director Jens Altheimer – is also tasked with upcycling the objects into new forms, allowing people to create fresh memories with them. But his job is becoming increasingly difficult as people no longer hold onto their possessions. They’re more inclined to buy disposable items; objects that aren’t kept around long enough to gather stories.
This might seem like a fitting environmental message to end on, but the show takes it further with a surprising second act: what about AI? What happens to the AI programs we cast aside in favour of newer models?
In today’s fast-paced world, it’s not only objects that quickly become obsolete; technology does too.
Ironically, while the show critiques technology, it also makes effective use of it throughout the performance, incorporating video and computer animations, ‘flying’ objects, and more.
Jens excels at keeping the audience engaged as a one-man band (aside from the female-voiced AI) and has no shortage of enthusiastic volunteers when he calls for audience participation. As one laughing boy exclaimed during the performance: “I think this ‘movie’ is funny!”
Whalebone is an entertaining albeit slightly unsettling ride, given that we’re currently in the midst of social media and AI reshaping our lives.
Whalebone is recommended for children aged six to 12.
Please note that the production includes flashing lights, loud/unexpected noises, and a total blackout.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE BIG FAMILY WEEKEND HERE
For more information and all enquiries, please visit the Adelaide Festival Centre website.
All photos supplied by the Adelaide Festival Centre, except where marked.
At Play & Go Adelaide, we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
As per all our Play & Go reviews, this is not a sponsored post and our review is done completely independently.
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