Wilbur the Optical Whale by Karen Lee Roberts

RECOMMENDED FOR: Lower/Middle Primary Students

A PLAY TO: read, read aloud, study, perform excerpts and scenes, use as a stimulus for creating, produce

CAST: 9 characters, originally staged using two performers with circus skills

STYLES: Physical theatre, drama, comedy, magic

THEMES AND CONCEPTS: Friendship, bullying, the strengths of being different, inclusion, the power of imagination

CURRICULUM LINKS: The Arts – Drama, English/Literacy, General Capabilities – personal and social learning

SYNOPSIS: Wilbur and Cecil feel like the odd fishes out in their home under the sea. It doesn’t help that the Starfish Meanies are always out to try and hurt their feelings. Over games of Hide and Seaweed and Foam Ball, the audience helps Wilbur and Cecil stand up to their bullies, and even become friends in the end! All it takes is being brave and taking a stand to be the bigger fish! Auslan interpretations are provided alongside the script for hearing impaired viewers.

STAGING: Much of the action takes place in the sea or near the sea so how this is created could be fun – use of fabric, use of recycled materials, use of sound. Many of the characters are creatures so creating costumes for the characters could also include recycled materials, masks. This play is intended to be inclusive and for all abilities. It has links to Auslan interpretations within the script.

We acknowledge that we live and create on unceded lands. We pay our respects to the First Peoples of Australia, and to their elders past, present and future.

© Australian Plays Transform 2024