Stage proposal

'“Then let everyone live, and let the partnership between land and sea, whales and all humankind, also remain.”

This sentence indicates one of the most important themes in this novel: relationship between environment and human, past and future. Throughout the novel, Koro is always trying to find someone who can maintain the relationship and inherit cultural heritage. He regards this as his mission, which is even more important than family. Although Koro seems to be cruel to little Kahu, he represents the type of people who preserves precious tangible and intangible cultural heritage in our world to the top of their bent.

Therefore, for this play, I plan to emphasize the conflict between tradition culture and modern development. Similar to my last play, I will transform the whales as the narrators and gods of the sea. The main plot would be how Kahu learn from Koro’s love to nature and follows his step to become a patron of cultural heritage.

The play will start with Kahu standing in the middle of an art exhibition, and digital projection will display several pictures about old-growth forest with tigers, prairie with elephants, desert with antelopes (or some special culture from various countries, not sure yet)  and eventually stops at the ocean with whales right in front of Kahu. When Kahu is facing the whales and they seem to be communicating, the narrator will explain what Kahu has done these years to protect precious animal from being poaching and rebuild relationship with them. The light would gradually fade out as the narrating continues, and a backdrop with ocean and beach and small village painted on it will come down as the background.

The first scene will then turn back to Kahu’s childhood. At the stage left which is higher than the stage right, and Koro is telling Kahu his story about the ocean; at the stage right, the god of sea is talking about his old human friends. Their descriptions connect together to form the whole story. Koro is concern about the health of the ocean, and the sea god really misses the harmonious days with human. Gradually, Kahu get closer and closer to the ocean, trying to find the god of sea and rebuild the faint connection between human and ocean. Meanwhile, sea god gets more and more desperate because of sea pollution. He feels that human development has abandoned ocean and decides to commit suicide. Kahu of course, take the risk of her life to save the sea gold who has an appearance of whale, and gives him hope to still guard the ocean. After this experience, Kahu feels that it is her fate to communicate and protect gods (animals) of each area, and thus involves herself in all kinds of volunteering program to protect those creatures that have been forgotten or hurt. Moreover, she spreads out this notion around the world to urge others join her and gets huge success. 

Sound effects and lighting will be used a lot to express the mood of the sea god, who should absolutely in blue. I hope that I can figure out an effective way to change the color of costume from light blue to dark blue, representing the emotional change of sea god. Kahu should be in both blue and white to show her connection between ocean and human. 

I hope that this adaptation could somehow inspire people to focus on cultural heritage(I need some suggestions about how to show this) and environment. 

This is an exhibition about what Kahu has done to protect the animals(cultural heritage) in danger. While a narrator is explaining the real information and how Kahu protect them, the digital projection will display all the pictures and ends at the whale. Then the light gradually fades out, leaving Kahu alone facing the whale and recalling her child hood memories.

Costume: white dress

Light: bright

Music: soft

The backdrop contains the ocean at the right, mountain and beach at the left. Koro is telling stories about whales at the stage right and sea gods in telling stories about human at the stage left. 

Costume: Kahu white, Koro brown, sea gods blue

Light: bright like sunshine

Music: soft and light

This scene contains a lot of sound effect including ships, yelling, groaning, thunder...A huge ship should be added on the stage to indicate how it influence the whale and how depressed they are. Kahu and Koko are both worried about the whales and trying to save them.

Light: dark and scary

Regarded as the chief, Kahu not only protect the whales and culture in her village, she also involve in other volunteer work to preserving more animals(culture). She makes presentation everywhere,appealing to the masses to join her.
Light: bright
Music:strong