“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.”
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 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?
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 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?
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Whale Chorus
Whale Chorus is a newly formed professional theatre company based in Newcastle. Founded by theatre artist Janie Gibson our company comprises a growing chorus of emerging and established artists collaborating with the company. Through live theatre, workshops and community engaged practice we seek to reinvigorate theatre’s true function as a ritual of reconnection. We create both new work and reimagine existing plays in search of new ways of connecting to audiences through immersive and immediate theatre. Our recent works include Well; an immersive narrative journey for young audiences, the launch of Shakespeare Under the Stars in Newcastle presenting a sold-out season of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Voices Of Joan a moving and irreverent solo performance unraveling the history of misogyny through a radical retelling of the story of Joan of Arc. In addition to creating immediate live performance Whale Chorus are committed to nurturing the next generation of storytellers and theatre makers through our artist development and training programs.
artistic director
Janie Gibson
Whale Chorus was founded by theatre artist Janie Gibson. Janie is an actor, theatre-maker, director and teaching artist. She uses the ritual of theatre as a forum for human connection; a site to hold radical ideas, witness multivalent perspectives and offer counter-narratives to the confinements of the dominant culture. Her theatre practice is born out of research and training in leading European ensemble theatre, contemporary performance and an ongoing exploration into the human voice. This search has taken her work around the globe in collaborations with Anu Almagro (Song of the Goat), Odra Ensemble (Song of the Goat, Poland), Ultimavez (BE), Shakespeare and Company (USA), Kristin Linklater (Orkney, Scotland) and nationally with NEXT WAVE, Tantrum Youth Arts, PACT Theatre, Roslyn Oades, BYDS and UTP. After developing her work both nationally and internationally, she has recently returned to her hometown of Newcastle to establish a new theatre company and give back to her community.
