A sailing theater troupe is docking in Everett this weekend.
Caravan Stage Co. is staging “Nomadic Tempest” — an experimental opera with an environmental theme — Aug. 31, Sept. 1 and Sept. 2 at Boxcar Park in Everett.
“Nomadic Tempest” tells about the journey of four monarch butterflies displaced by a climate change catastrophe in the year 2040. The troupe combines theater with aerial gymnastics, original music and lighting.
The butterflies, embodied by multicultural aerialists, are a metaphor for today’s climate refugees. They come from four different regions and sing in their own languages: Henqeminem, Arabic, Mandarin and Spanish.
“They sing about their lost lands, their lost future and lost companions,” said playwright and artistic director Paul Kirby. “It’s all very theatrical. It’s very dream-like.”
A singer-narrator named Kanandra (played by Ottawa, Canada, native Alisha Davidson) can foresee the future, but no one believes her prophecies because she is cursed by the SwallowWarts, two ghastly-looking creatures who figuratively represent the oil industry.
The story unfolds on the Amara Zee, a ship built specifically for theater in 1997 and modeled after a Thames River sailing barge. Aerialists swing and spin from an 8-foot-tall deck and 40-foot-tall trusses using various apparatuses, including hoops, a swing and a zip line.
A large screen covers the ship’s 90-by-40-foot frame and projects a series of narrative sequences with graphics, animation and lyrics. Audiences will watch from Boxcar Park, a 2-acre grassy space at the waterfront, and are encouraged to bring blankets or chairs.
It’s no secret what “Nomadic Tempest” is all about, Kirby said.
“The planet is definitely warming up, and the burning of fossil fuels is the trigger,” Kirby, 74, said. “It’s a theater piece, so we’re not preaching to anybody. But we are offering a prophecy.”
The story is especially relevant today, as more than 500 active wildfires are burning across the Pacific Northwest. Global warming’s effects on temperature, precipitation levels and soil moisture can make forests vulnerable during wildfire season.
Of course, Kirby acknowledges that the progressive-minded show can alienate some audiences.
“It’s a risk in a sense that some audiences love it, but there’s always a chance somebody is not going to understand it or like it,” Kirby said. “They find this representation so different from anything they’ve ever seen.”
Kirby founded Caravan Stage Co. in 1970 with business partner Adriana Kelder. It started as a horse-drawn wagon puppet show with performances on Vancouver Island.
Kirby and Kelder launched the Amara Zee in 1997. They spent the next 20 years sailing from the East and West coasts, as well as to the Gulf of Mexico and Europe.
After two decades at sea, the vessel returned to British Columbia two years ago. The show “Nomadic Tempest” was added to the lineup not long after. The 20-person crew — including aerialists, lighting operators, technicians and electricians — maintains and navigates the ship. They come from all over the world: Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, France and the United States.
Following its Everett performances, the Amara Zee will anchor in Port Townsend for two weeks.
Evan Thompson: 360-544-2999, ethompson@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @evanthompson_1.
If you go
What: Caravan Stage Co.’s “Nomadic Tempest”
Where: Boxcar Park, 1200 Millwright Loop W., Everett
When: 9 p.m. Aug. 31 to Sept. 2
Tickets: $10-$25 suggested donation (tickets required)
More: 504-715-7152 or www.caravanstage.org
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
Gallery
