Project Whale

We are Blueprint Theatre & Film, a small arts organisation based in the heart of Lubetkin’s Bevin Court. This iconic building was designed with community in mind, reflecting his belief that “nothing is too good for ordinary people.”

We established the company to prove that community arts are just as professional, exciting, and accomplished as their mainstream counterparts. That remains the goal, as the gap between commercial and community arts continues to widen—to the detriment of everyone.

This past year, we’ve been fully immersed in Project Whale—a research and development initiative supporting a draft interdisciplinary theatre piece. The project explores the connection between environmental and mental health, with a focus on the impact of violence toward women, children, and the planet. It’s an ambitious project, so aptly named.

We’re nearing the end of the first phase of R&D, during which we’ve led creative writing workshops for women and children across Islington. These workshops explore the themes of environmental and mental health, including how scientists are using AI and robotics to decode whale communication—and what this means for our planet, our relationships with one another, and with other species. Using the whale as a metaphor for the planet, we’re creating an anthology of writing that will leave a lasting legacy, inspiring others, and be archived at the Islington History Museum and London Met Archives.

We showcased our work at Islington’s WE Heal celebrations and writers met with scientist Luke Rendell and philosopher Janine Guler in a roundtable discussion at Islington Town Hall. This helped deepen our understanding of the science behind efforts to communicate with whales and what it means for the future of humanity. You can watch here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84jrksr1aZo

A big thank you to Arts Council England, We Heal, The Morris Trust, and the Cripplegate Foundation for their continued support.

Linocut by Sophy Hollington