On Moby Dick: Entering the story through action.

by Michelle Pauls (Pip)

I love Moby Dick! I would never have believed that I would have gotten so swept up in the story of the white whale and the obsessed madman pursuing him. It is a story that means so many things on some many different levels.

First there is the sea. The wide expanse of never-ending ocean, stretching forever, hiding everything. I have dreamed of going to sea, off and on, for many years. Sitting on the beach in Rhode Island, I pictured myself on one of those lights at the edge of the horizon, secluded away from all the troubles of the land. Measuring existence from one short stay at port to the next. Or, maybe I’d just live on a houseboat for a while. Give up my daily grind and responsibilities, and get used to steadying myself against the constant rocking of the waves.

Speaking of rocking, one of my favorite parts of rehearsal for MOBY DICK – REHEARSED is simulating the rocking on board the Pequod on the stage at the Centre Theater. When I start rocking, or swaying, I am on that boat. I hear the gulls screeching, I see the white foam tipping the waves, I taste the salty air.