CETACEAN (The Whale) is the sixth interdisciplinary performance from Deke Weaver’s The Unreliable Bestiary—a lifelong project presenting a performance for every letter of the alphabet, each letter representing an endangered animal or habitat. To date Bestiary collaborators have completed performances about five animals: MONKEY, ELEPHANT, WOLF, BEAR, and TIGER. These performances are presented in unusual settings: the corncribs of barns, forests, living rooms, prairies, or the length of the Mississippi River. Haunting, funny, dark, and hopeful—CETACEAN is set in the University of Illinois’ massive Stock Pavilion. Rooted in a year of student workshops about oceans, whales, eco-anxiety, and interconnectivity, CETACEAN has evolved into a juxtaposition of lo-fi effects, story, video, dance, sound design, and a colossal installation—a plastic sea with plastic whales. It’s gonna be a whale of a show!

Thursday, September 28 - Monday, October 2, 2023 at 7:30pm in the University of Illinois Stock Pavilion

See the Krannert Center website for more details and to purchase tickets.