A new underwater-themed interactive experience has come ashore at the Civic Theatre to put you up close and personal with some of the sea’s deadliest creatures. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
Thanks to the films Jaws and Finding Nemo, generations have been terrified of sharks, with their countless pointy teeth, long slippery bodies and apparent bloodlust.
Because of these horrifying depictions of one of the world’s greatest sea creatures, the thought of jumping into a cage in the middle of the ocean is not one that many people entertain.
However, courtesy of the puppetry-based theatrical production company Erth, people who may be on the shyer side of coming face-to-face with a shark can get up close and personal with this misunderstood creature in the comfort of land in the world-famous interactive experience Shark Dive.
“Shark Dive is a beautiful, immersive experience that is the first of its kind in the world,” show director Rose Maher explained.
“By booking a show and coming down to the Wagga Civic Theatre, you get to experience what it is like to dive with a great white shark. It’s a 40-minute experience where the audience is invited into an imaginative world underwater.”
During the experience, participants are placed in a model cage on stage while puppeteers circle the cage with life-like puppets of sea creatures.
Participants are placed in a cage and given headphones that play tracks while life-sized puppets swim around them. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
“The audience listen to an audio track played through some automated headphones and are invited to either play the ‘safe’ or ‘risky’ audio tracks,” Ms Maher said.
“You experience what it might be like to be underwater with sharks but also a number of other really beautiful creatures that swim around the Sydney Harbour.”
Ms Maher revealed that it takes a team of five puppeteers to bring the show to life and that three of the artists selected are from Wagga Wagga.
“We have two puppeteers that we’ve brought across from Sydney but we’ve also engaged with three emerging artists from here in Wagga,” she said.
”Over the four days, we’ve been training them to be able to use our puppets and perform with us. So, if you come to the show, you’ll get a little slice of the city and the country.”
Sessions for the interactive sessions begin on Wednesday, 10 July, at 10 am and run until 4:15 pm on Friday, 12 July, with sensory sessions running at 12:15 pm and 4:15 pm each day.
Civic Theatre manager Claire Harris said she was thrilled to bring such a fun and interactive performance to the city during the school holidays.
“The experience is perfect for all ages and especially for those kids who don’t enjoy sitting still in a theatre seat for an hour,” Ms Harris said.
“This is truly going to be an experience to remember. We are transforming the theatre into an underwater playground.”
Tickets for Shark Dive are now on sale and can be purchased at the Civic Theatre website here.
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