The Dead Sea Devised and Performed by Louise White
An ocean-filled production perfect for those excited about saving our planet for ages 7+
Derby Theatre Studio, Derby. Feb 24, 4pm.
East Midlands-based performance artist, Louise White will tour regional In Good Company venues with her production of The Dead Sea this February.
Louise has lost her sense of adventure. Her days consist of observing sponges… which is pretty boring. She would love to journey to the deep ocean, if only she wasn’t so afraid of the water!
As a child she wanted to be a great ocean explorer and liked nothing more than to play her toy turtle and inflatable killer whale!
Louise embarks on a mission to the deep ocean, but on the way tragedy strikes and her life and childhood dreams hang in the balance. Will she make her way back to the surface? Will she conquer her fear of the sea? Join Louise on her journey as she explores the ocean depths. With a mix of light humour, adventure and tragedy; Louise faces plenty of challenges as she pursues her dreams below the waves.
The Dead Sea is a performance suitable for all, looking to get all ages excited about saving our planet and looking towards the future. It is made with support from the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.
Thoughts from Louise…
“I wanted to specifically deal with plastics, as that is the most pressing problem facing our oceans. The conservation elements are craftily included in dream sequences, flashbacks and in the materials used to create the set and props.
I enjoy making autobiographical shows, some more loosely based than others! The Dead Sea is a bit of fun looking at what life might have been like in an alternate reality had I pursued wanting to be a marine biologist when I was 13. As it happens, when I was 14 I fell in love with theatre and the rest, as they say, is history. There are also a lot of my own experiences that go into my work, particularly surrounding mental health. I previously created a show called Debris that dealt with my experience of depression. The Dead Sea deals with the ideas of anxiety, and loss of purpose and passion. What is it to become disillusioned? In the making of the show, mindfulness has played a big part, and meditation music has been integral to the making process and getting that feeling of ‘under the sea’. Parents looking for something different to the usual family show, which tends to be very excitable, have praised the calming and gentle atmosphere the show creates.
A few things I’ve been playing around with while creating The Dead Sea as I develop my practice have been object play and puppetry. This is something that I’m developing a real taste for and would love to keep working with puppetry to make it a staple of my practice. This will also be the first time I’ve worked with animation and projection mapping as part of my work, and what I’ve learned has been incredible! I plan to build more on this next year as I experiment with creating a more immersive environment and develop the set so it doubles as an interactive sensory installation tailored for people with learning disabilities. Watch this space!
I’m so pleased to be previewing The Dead Sea in the East Midlands, and showing what I have been working on during my time as an In Good Company associate artist. IGC is an artist development scheme based in the east midlands, which helps to progress artists in their practice and enhance their artistic profile within and beyond the east-midlands. I can’t wait to perform the show, it really is a joy to perform!“
Further Information
Ticket prices vary from £6-£10 with concession and group rates available. For more information, or to book tickets, please visit the respective touring venues’ Box Offices and/or websites. You can find all the venue links on my website: www.louisewhitetheatrician.com/tourworkshops.