The Moby Dick Blues – June 5-22

ABOUT

Playwright Michael Gorman’s epic new opera The Moby Dick Blues begs the question “What was Ahab, but an addict really, and what was Moby Dick but an allusion to opium, and heroin, its contemporary scourge?”

In a tale that stretches across generations and ancients—lost mariners, lost souls, lost lives—this
iconoclastic working-class opera about a New England fishing community’s daunting quest for survival and transformation in the face of the opiate crisis calls for a reevaluation of Ahab’s vengeful obsession with the White Whale, and our own destructive relationshipwith nature, the environment, and ourselves.

Told through lyrics and live music that span the spectrum from blues, spoken word, rap, and rock, this
enthralling theatrical experience and environmental installation takes us down to “the crossroads” where the past and future collide in a dramatic struggle for the soul of a community.

CREDITS

Founded by Playwright and Director Michael Gorman and a collective of independent artists, The Forty Hour Club is a theatrical production company based in Rockland, Maine dedicated to creating original productions that ask the question “To what consequence?”

 

Their productions focus on the social, economic, environmental, and systemic challenges facing working communities, and the paramount issue of sustainability. The Forty Hour Club embraces the collaborative spirit of the job-site to tackle major issues and bring an authentic working-world perspective to the stage.

 

At the forefront of the company’s most recent work is “Chasing The New White Whale—Harpooning Addiction”—an epic on-going performance art & advocacy model that directly addresses the opiate crisis in New England and beyond.

CAST

Written by: Michael Gorman
Directed by: Joe John Battista
Music Director: Kavi Gaspar
Lighting Designer: Chris Ackerlind
Collaborating Artist/Installation: Gregory De La Haba
Produced by: The Forty Hour Club, Donna Daly, Michael Gorman

Costume Design, Angela Wendt