Join in on a whale’s tale of a collaboration
Call me “Wash-ashore.” Some time ago, twenty-two years exactly, having exhausted professional opportunities in my Cape Cod birthplace, I thought I’d move off that little arm that sticks out into the ocean and try a more metropolitan locale for a seaside lifestyle. And so, I landed in Portland-town, seduced by its breezes and beauty, burned into my soul by Schooner Fare’s shanties.
Humor me, please…the preceding is my parody of the first chapter of Moby Dick, one of my all-time favorite novels. When I was an English teacher in a former life, I used to ask my eleventh-grade English students to write a parody of the beginnings of “Loomings.” For those of you groaning about the mere mention of the tome, let me assuage your fears – I’m not asking you to read it.
But for those who love the idea of a great whale story and its influence on Melville and many other artists of all genres—but who may not want to wade into the waters and tackle the beast – let me suggest that you attend PCA’s presentation of The Acting Company in Moby Dick Rehearsed in Merrill Auditorium on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 7:30 pm. Theater doesn’t get much better than a work performed by Julliard graduates. It’s a two-act wonder, the only play written by Orson Welles. Welles, an isolato himself not unlike Ahab or Lear, was drawn to Melville’s work in all its enigmatic and psychological complexities. We have compiled a wealth of material about Moby Dick Rehearsed and Moby Dick on the “Learn More” portion of our MDR page.
Luckily for us in Portland, there are cultural organizations willing to collaborate in support of Moby Dick Rehearsed. From the Portland Public Library to the Portland Harbor Museum and the Maine Historical Society, we have found rich resources to give our patrons a tidal wave of opportunities to learn more about the influence of America’s mid-nineteenth century culture, literature, and economics to our world today. You can get involved with Moby Dick book discussions at the Portland Public Library (the next one will be on February 11) or mull over the creative environment of the 1800s in Portland at the Maine Historical Society evening lectures, or learn about leviathans on a Sunday afternoon from a former curator who’ll be lecturing at Portland Harbor Museum. All the events are listed on our PCA Offstage pages.
Finally, if you’d like to get the “gist” of the big fish story without having to read it all, there’s Moby-Dude: a hilarious, tongue-in-cheek, freeze-dried version that high school or college students will think is irreverently “rad.”
And, if you are a student, you can see Moby Dick Rehearsed for a special student price of $10. Impress your English teacher!
“The beginning of man was salt sea, and the perpetual reverberation of that great ancient fact, constantly renewed in the unfolding life in every human individual, is the important single fact about Melville.” – Charles Olson, Call Me Ishmael
Join us on this voyage, shipmates. Welcome aboard!
Dave says:
Well, blow me down! I’m pleased to see that after all of these years in Maine, you can still string a few syllables together.....Ayuh! Very nice job Barri!!!!