http://www.orlandosentinel.com/trav...d-killer-whale-shows-20101115,0,6192634.story
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment will launch a new killer-whale show next spring in its three U.S. marine parks, as it attempts to move beyond the February death of a trainer that has shadowed the company for nearly a year.
Jim Atchison, SeaWorld Parks' president and chief executive officer, said in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel on Monday that the as-yet-unnamed show will replace the 4-year-old "Believe" as the signature attraction at SeaWorld parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio.
"We've been working very hard at developing a new concept that I think is going to be very exciting," Atchison said.
Advertisement Atchison said the new show has been in the works for roughly a year. But the timetable for its debut was accelerated following the Feb. 24 death of Dawn Brancheau, the 40-year-old SeaWorld Orlando trainer who was killed by a six-ton orca named Tilikum.
Brancheau's death prompted SeaWorld to pull all of its trainers out of its orca pools while it conducted a still-ongoing trainer-safety review. That in turn forced an awkward, on-the-fly rework of Believe, a 30-minute show that emphasizes the close relationship between killer whales and trainers and which had relied heavily on in-water interactions.
Atchison declined to say whether trainers will be back in the water for the new show. SeaWorld has said it will not re-institute trainers' "water work" with killer whales unless it can make sufficient safety improvements. But Atchison said the safety review launched after Brancheau's death has helped shape plans for the new show.
"We've certainly changed the scope of the shows and the impact of the shows," he said.
Industry analysts say designing a new killer-whale performance is an important step toward turning the page on the Brancheau tragedy, which has hung like a cloud over SeaWorld throughout the year. Even now, nearly nine months later, SeaWorld continues to battle both the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and multiple private lawsuits.
"They almost have to [create a new show] to go forward," said Jerry Aldrich, president of Amusement Industry Consulting in Orlando. "It is important, and it is important for them to do it now, to get rid of the negative connotations of the problems they had."
That said, other factors are also driving SeaWorld's overhaul of its killer-whale show. The company faces increased competition for tourists, particularly in Orlando, where Universal Orlando this year opened the wildly popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter in its Islands of Adventure theme park and Walt Disney World is in the midst of expanding the Fantasyland section of its Magic Kingdom park.
And SeaWorld, like other parks, must periodically reinvent its live shows to ensure repeat visits by guests. Believe is now in its fifth year; SeaWorld's previous orca show, "The Shamu Adventure," ran for eight years. "All of this stuff has compelled SeaWorld to make a change," said Robert Niles, publisher of ThemeParkInsider.com
Designing a new killer-whale performance, which Atchison called "our marquee attraction for the SeaWorld parks," is expensive. Just the improvements made to SeaWorld Orlando's Shamu Stadium for Believe reportedly topped $10 million.
SeaWorld is expected to unveil thematic details of the new show in coming weeks. Atchison said it would be "stunning." "It's going to be a great show, an exciting show, and I think something that's going to have a big impact on the guest experience," he said.
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment will launch a new killer-whale show next spring in its three U.S. marine parks, as it attempts to move beyond the February death of a trainer that has shadowed the company for nearly a year.
Jim Atchison, SeaWorld Parks' president and chief executive officer, said in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel on Monday that the as-yet-unnamed show will replace the 4-year-old "Believe" as the signature attraction at SeaWorld parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio.
"We've been working very hard at developing a new concept that I think is going to be very exciting," Atchison said.
Advertisement Atchison said the new show has been in the works for roughly a year. But the timetable for its debut was accelerated following the Feb. 24 death of Dawn Brancheau, the 40-year-old SeaWorld Orlando trainer who was killed by a six-ton orca named Tilikum.
Brancheau's death prompted SeaWorld to pull all of its trainers out of its orca pools while it conducted a still-ongoing trainer-safety review. That in turn forced an awkward, on-the-fly rework of Believe, a 30-minute show that emphasizes the close relationship between killer whales and trainers and which had relied heavily on in-water interactions.
Atchison declined to say whether trainers will be back in the water for the new show. SeaWorld has said it will not re-institute trainers' "water work" with killer whales unless it can make sufficient safety improvements. But Atchison said the safety review launched after Brancheau's death has helped shape plans for the new show.
"We've certainly changed the scope of the shows and the impact of the shows," he said.
Industry analysts say designing a new killer-whale performance is an important step toward turning the page on the Brancheau tragedy, which has hung like a cloud over SeaWorld throughout the year. Even now, nearly nine months later, SeaWorld continues to battle both the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and multiple private lawsuits.
"They almost have to [create a new show] to go forward," said Jerry Aldrich, president of Amusement Industry Consulting in Orlando. "It is important, and it is important for them to do it now, to get rid of the negative connotations of the problems they had."
That said, other factors are also driving SeaWorld's overhaul of its killer-whale show. The company faces increased competition for tourists, particularly in Orlando, where Universal Orlando this year opened the wildly popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter in its Islands of Adventure theme park and Walt Disney World is in the midst of expanding the Fantasyland section of its Magic Kingdom park.
And SeaWorld, like other parks, must periodically reinvent its live shows to ensure repeat visits by guests. Believe is now in its fifth year; SeaWorld's previous orca show, "The Shamu Adventure," ran for eight years. "All of this stuff has compelled SeaWorld to make a change," said Robert Niles, publisher of ThemeParkInsider.com
Designing a new killer-whale performance, which Atchison called "our marquee attraction for the SeaWorld parks," is expensive. Just the improvements made to SeaWorld Orlando's Shamu Stadium for Believe reportedly topped $10 million.
SeaWorld is expected to unveil thematic details of the new show in coming weeks. Atchison said it would be "stunning." "It's going to be a great show, an exciting show, and I think something that's going to have a big impact on the guest experience," he said.
Safety first and all that!
