CHASING THE NEW WHITE WHALE is an art & advocacy project by THE FORTY HOUR CLUB dedicated to bringing awareness to the issue of opiate addiction in the commercial fishing community of New England and beyond.
Through the shared artistic experience of theater, the project’s mission is to create authentic connection by presenting an on-going series of site-specific performances and events created to directly confront the opiate crisis in fishing and working communities.
By presenting performances in non-traditional “venues” such as those on and around the working waterfront, and by directly involving members of the community, including those in recovery and restorative justice prisoner reentry programs, The Forty Hour Club’s goal is to create an open forum for discussion around the issue of addiction with which to propel constructive change.
The project's next upcoming production THE MOBY DICK BLUES, "a working-class opera for our planet and for our times", will premiere at The Ellen Stewart Theater at La MaMa June 5-22, 2025. Told through performance, music, song, spoken word, recitative opera, movement, and spectacle, this immersive theatrical experience is the product of a six-year developmental journey deep into the heart of the opiate crisis in the commercial fishing community. We hope you'll consider a donation to support this monumental NEW work!
