CETACEAN (The Whale)

About the Performance:
CETACEAN (The Whale) is the sixth installment in The Unreliable Bestiary, a lifelong performance series by artist and storyteller Deke Weaver—one for each letter of the alphabet, each representing an endangered species or habitat.

Blending lo-fi theatrical effects, original video, sound design, movement, storytelling, and cinematic documentation, this condensed version offers a darkly humorous, haunting meditation on whales, oceans, and the human condition in the Anthropocene.

The original large-scale 2023 production, created in collaboration with over 850 students, was described as a “mesmerizing, operatic memorial” and a “waking dream.” This one-night-only performance brings its layered, interdisciplinary storytelling to New Bedford’s historic Whaling Museum.

Created and Performed By:

• Deke Weaver – Writer, Performer, Producer
• Jennifer Allen – Director, Choreographer, Performer
• Latrelle Bright – Performer

Featuring original collaborators including Susan Becker (costumes), John Boesche (video), James Lo (sound), and Jayne Wenger (dramaturgy).