“Janie Gibson channels the spirit of Joan of Arc in this breathtaking performance that addresses us, involves us – and makes us complicit in the outcomes”.
“Gibson’s punked up version of the passion of St Joan is an electric, ground-breaking production…Gibson extracts an iconic religious figure from history and grafts her onto a contemporary stage”
“Art scintillates when brave and authentic…Home‘s collation of words by various entities, is a remarkable achievement, showcasing a valuable range of perspectives that form a truthful and timely representation of where we are today, as a society and a collective consciousness.”
“Janie has established herself as a powerful and original performance maker”
“I feel inspired and rejuvenated after watching this. Brilliant writing, performances and a story that hits you in the guts. Utterly deserving of last night’s standing ovation”.
“THANK YOU! Honestly, that was one of the best things I’ve seen on a stage.”
“It was just magical watching all those young artists shine.”
“The ensemble cast is a dynamic group of young people who throw themselves into the show with gusto and enthusiasm. Together, they create worlds onstage with poetry, movement and music about what it means to be young in Newcastle. Interwoven stories of migration, war, loss and strength are laced throughout the show, as well as themes of diversity, feminism, family…the Baby Boomer generation and the plight of the millennial.”
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Whale Chorus
Based in Newcastle, Australia, Whale Chorus is a leading professional theatre company in the Hunter region. Our mission is to reinvigorate theatre’s true function as a ritual of reconnection. We tell heart-centred stories, from Shakespeare to boundary pushing original plays, and experiment with new ways of engaging audiences through immersive, immediate and enlivening theatre. Our works take place in public parks, community halls and inside traditional theatres in non-traditional ways. Alongside our public performances, we are committed to nurturing the next generation of storytellers and theatre makers through our artist development, training and education programs.
Whale Chorus was founded in 2007 by Artistic Director Janie Gibson. Since 2020 the company has been based in Newcastle, Australia. We make art for and with the community we live in. Our projects centre local voices whilst participating in a global conversation through international collaborations and partnerships with leading theatre practitioners.
Our name draws inspiration from the migrating companies of whales which travel seasonally along the east coast of Australia. Our theatre work is centred on the ensemble, the chorus. We believe that theatre can be personally and collectively transformative and that when we work together we can create something that is more than the sum of its parts.
By Janie Gibson
Ode To Theatre
What other art form can do this?
To rebel against the tyranny of rational thinking
And embrace the disruptive healing potential of art
Creativity and associative thinking
As we gather together to hear a story
To navigate the terrain of the soul
Through the gateway of all the senses.
For what are we but the stories we live in?
They shape our world, identity, belief
And chart the way to action
They map out where we’ve come from
Where we are headed
And the great questions swirling around this present moment
Stories then can show us the way through
Light a path
To illuminate what may be hidden
Speak about what is unspoken
Amplify our shared mythologies
As we contemplate what binds us
Because we’re going to need each other
We already do.
Theatre then will hold a mirror up to nature
And provoke the questions in our hearts
How must I act? What must we do?
Our People
Janie Gibson
Artistic Director
Anu Almagro
Associate Artist (Director Voices Of Joan)
Matthew Harper
Education Co-ordinator
Executive Committee
Our Board
Katerina Skoumbas (Chair)
Jonathan Lin
Jacquie Svenson
Beck Ronkson
Janie Gibson
