SAIAH takes on The Whale
SAIAH has turned the space at the Lifecycle Building Center in West Atlanta into an interpretative performance space for literary giant Moby Dick. Opening April 10 and running till May 12, Marium Khalid, director, captures the true essence of the whale, makes a 6,000 square foot warehouse into a vast and epic space, and hopes all audience members feel the same bravery as the characters involved.
Q. Moby Dick is such an iconic work of literature, what prompted you to take on such classic piece and put it to stage?
A. The novel itself is brilliant- but what attracted me to this particular script were the themes that the playwright brought out. The search and understanding of the divine. How different souls approach it. We have Ahab who wishes it destroy it because he cannot comprehend it – then we have someone like Ishmael, who floats in the beauty of it.
The hunt being driven by the need to fullfill something greater in ourselves is what prompted me to pick this story.
Q. Local professor at Kennesaw, John Gentile adapted Herman Melville’s novel for the stage, what major changes did he make for this beloved book to be stage ready?
A. He managed to grab the heart of the story and present it to us. The novel itself is more or less an encyclopedia of whaling and the story of these mens lives is a part of it. For this and previous versions, John captured the essence of Moby – Dick.
Q. The whale is seems to be a personified in SAIAH’s production. Is this the case? And what were the hurtles to cross with this and the bonuses?
A. Well, putting a “whale” on stage could never be done gracfully. Is there a right way – I’m sure there can be. But for us the presence of what the whale represents, its “whiteness,” is so much more powerful. We get to play with humanizing the divine and that’s always quite an enjoyable task.
Q. There is an epic quality to the novel with the oceanic voyage and the battle between man and beast. Do you feel that the stage adaptation will take on these same attributes?
A. Definitely. With the location of this show, the Lifecycle Building Center, we are trying to bring the vastness to our audience. And allowing them to see these men play in this space, a 60,000 sq foot factory, you get a glimpse of the hard battle they fought- while at the same time realizing how small one man is, in a battle against the divine.
Q. If you could choose one thing to tell audiences as a teaser for the show, what would it be?
A. Be brave. We want you to experience all aspects of the world we’re bringing to you – so look around, get closer – take in the scent – and then you’ll truly see the story were trying to tell you.
