Waves

Waves tells the story of the unofficial history of the invention of the Butterfly stroke. It is a solo theatrework written and performed by Alice Mary Cooper. Combining new writing, highly expressive storytelling, delicate movement and humour, Waves is the amazing tale of Elizabeth Moncello and how, growing up on Gabo Island in the 30’s, she employed sea creatures to teach her how to swim. With the help of fish, penguins and amphibian friends, Liz, the daughter of immigrants, developed ‘the Dolphin,’ known to the world as the Butterfly. A hit at the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe where it was nominated for the Brighton Fringe Emerging Talent Award and programmed for the 2014 Imaginate Festival Delegates Programme, this enchanting tale promises to delight audiences young and old. ‘Waves made me happy. So, so happy. It’s a play which starts in stillness and sadness – yet soars across oceans once its imagination takes flight. It’s a fanciful tale of tragedy and redemption, built around a tiny detail of history, the invention of the butterfly stroke in 1933. It’s the parable of a little girl who wanted to swim like a dolphin… and who in the end, in a manner of speaking, did.’ Fringe Guru, Brighton Fringe 2014

Alice Mary Cooper is a performer, writer and theatre-maker from Sydney, Australia. Her hope is that through performance, she can transform the everyday into sources of wonderment. Following completion of a Bachelor of Creative Arts Degree from Melbourne University, Alice moved to Paris, where she attended theatre school L’Ecole Philippe Gaulier. Since graduating and returning to Sydney, she has been a resident artist at Shopfront Contemporary Arts Centre, ensemble member at PACT Centre for Emerging Artists and was selected to the Fresh Ink playwriting mentorship with Australian Theatre for Young People. Alice toured her first work When Alice (Cooper) met (Prince) Harry (previously Clown Lights Stage) to the Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney & Edinburgh Fringe festivals and created Waves for the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Following time spent in Brittany, France and Edinburgh, Alice has spent the past months working as an actor in an English theatre company in Madrid, Spain. Waves was developed in 2014 as part of the delegates program at the Imaginate Festival.