BATS Theatre celebrates 21 years of STAB annual commissions with a production of The Rime of the Modern Mariner by The PlayGround Collective. In this adaptation “the Mariner sets out to sea to catch the ultimate prize, but when he carelessly fells an albatross a curse befalls his ship. Stranded in the north Pacific Gyre – a swirling vortex of trash – the Mariner comes face to face with the overwhelming consequences of our unthinking consumption. Afloat and alone in a forgotten mass of plastic he is stalked by the endangered creatures of the deep, haunted by ghostly apparitions, and faced with an encroaching storm. If he hopes to survive he must bear the weight of his actions and atone for his mistakes.”

STAB funding (thanks Creative New Zealand ) gives theatre companies the chance to realise something ambitious, experimental, or unusual. The videos I’ve seen on FB promise music, puppets and a really intriguing set.