A comedic play depicting the true story of controversial 1960s NASA experiment. America's best scientists fuelled by psychedelics and millions in funding began attempting to teach dolphins to speak English.
On a remote Caribbean island, in a specially designed semi-submerged "Dolphinarium" funded by the US Government, among them was 22-year-old Margaret Howe Lovatt; a young researcher who moved into the flooded laboratory and spent months living alongside the dolphins. As the experiment progressed, reality became stranger than fiction when Peter, the young male dolphin, began reaching sexual maturity and forming an unexpected attachment to his human teacher.Inspired by this astonishing true story, Aquatic Affairs is a fast-paced, one-act comedy that explores what happens when limitless ambition collides with a lack of common sense. Blending bizarre-but-real "science" with interspecies intimacy, the play shines a light on a chapter of history so unbelievable it could only be true. And humans play the dolphins. The show is written by Madeleine Palmer (NIDA Musical Theatre 2022, Studio M), inspired by Rosie Waterland's 'Just The Gist', and brought to life by a vibrant cast of talented performers. Aquatic Affairs uses an extraordinary historical event to poke fun at American exceptionalism, scientific hubris, and the age-old problem of having more money than sense.
