A dead earth
A climate refugee
A voyage to the outer solar system

On the resource-depleted earth of a not so distant future, a young climate refugee named Ishmael is given the chance to build a new life, provided she can survive a voyage to the outer solar system aboard the MV Pequod under the command of the obsessive Captain Ahab.

Literary epic Moby Dick reimagined as a contemporary space saga, Ishmael recasts earth’s no-longer-vast oceans with the immensity of space, and the endless possibilities and terrors it holds. Set on a futuristic version of earth which has suffered a catastrophic environmental collapse, the story follows Ishmael (Ellen Bailey), a climate refugee who has been living in a corporation sanctioned camp on the darkened surface of earth. She’s offered a chance of a new life above the clouds, but quickly discovers that this means a perilous voyage to the outer solar system aboard the MV Pequod – a mining ship under the control of the notorious Captain Ahab (Barb Lowing). Once aboard, Ishmael befriends Queequeg (Patrick Jhanur) – the only other crew member and an escaped experiment in artificially intelligent droids. Ishmael eventually falls into the groove of life on board until the crew are confronted by a ruined mining ship and with the trauma of the loss of her brother fresh in her mind, Ahab leads the crew into uncharted space on a quest to either find him alive or avenge him.

In weaving the story to life, this boundary pushing production melds live film making with live action, miniature sets, puppetry and an original score by indie pop musician Bec Sandridge to tell a captivating story about individual hope and collective redemption. The seamless interweaving of live performers, miniature models and camera technology create sweeping visuals. As with most Dead Puppet Society work, the source of the illusion is exposed but Ishmael takes this to an entirely new level – in addition to watching the story, the audience will be watching how it’s made, live in front of their eyes.

Don’t miss the world premiere season of Ishmael as part of Brisbane Festival.

Ishmael is the latest work by the internationally acclaimed Dead Puppet Society (Laser Beak Man, The Wider Earth) who now turn their trademark magic to Herman Melville’s beloved classic Moby Dick.