This live show, coordinated by Action Horizons, is an adaptation of the 1995 film Waterworld, starring Kevin Costner. The cast is made up of professional stunt men and women who act out the story while exhibiting such abilities as jet skiing, water skiing, high diving, martial arts, gymnastics, and of course acting. It takes place on a recreated ‘Atoll’ which is brought to life with high action stunts, watercraft, and pyrotechnics. The show is performed at Universal Studios theme parks around the world in the USA, Japan, and Singapore. Ebony performed as the female lead Helen in the Singapore production. Helen is an independent and brave voyager. In an era of hopelessness, her optimism and caring nature drives her attempts to create a better life. She is very capable of achieving this and is willing to fight to survive. It’s a role perfectly in balance with De La Haye’s impressive skill set.
Waterworld’s live performance does require acting ability but there’s no doubt that the source is the athleticism and the mastery of water based sports on the part of the cast. There is a specific set of skills that Waterworld requires but people come from a wide variety of athletic backgrounds to achieve them. The cast consists of professional water skiers, gymnasts, martial artists, dancers, and of course stunt performers. There is a bit of a global community of live stunt show performers, as it does require such a specific set of skills. Ebony’s years of competition in waterskiing that utilized acrobatics made her ideal for this role. Performing as Helen in front of a crowd of 4,000, Ebony exhibited her mastery in driving boats, jet skiing, high diving, stunt fighting, and acting. One might presume that the death defying feats would be the most challenging but not so for De La Haye who concedes that working with a diction coach to master the perfect American accent required a lot more work than flying across the water at high speeds surrounded by explosions. She relates, “The experience of working with pyrotechnics isn’t intimidating to me as I have worked around them in most live shows I have been a part of as well as in film productions. You train for safety around this just as you train for safety in sports. You must always be aware of it and it becomes part of the performance training in the same way you are aware of the lights, the audience, and the other performers.” Witnessing Ebony careening on any number of forms of water vehicles, fighting, and avoiding the explosives/attacks of her enemies…one might forget that the show is completely live with no deceptive camera angles that reveal the danger isn’t truly there.
No doubt it’s the very genetic makeup of an athlete that transfers so aptly to this type of entertainment for De La Haye. In the case of Waterworld, this is almost literal. The show lasts approximately twenty-five minutes. It is an extremely physically demanding show especially for the Helen role as she is on set for the complete duration of the show. Ebony was required to deliver the lines while performing at a high cardio rate, performing incredibly physically demanding stunts… all while on a live microphone. In an era where a vast amount of singers lip sync while dancing, this is an achievement in itself. George Hartmann (of Action Horizons)
Operations Manager Singapore professes, “The role of "Helen" can only be played by a handful of talented females, so we feel very lucky to have had Ebony as part of our team here at Action Horizons for the past 6 years. Ebony's role of "Helen" in the Waterworld show is a powerful lead female character which requires lots of strength, stamina, and stage presence. Waterworld is a water based stunt show which is physically demanding for all of our performers. Ebony’s commitment is inspiring, which can be quite challenging as she is constantly being pushed to her limit by running around the set, climbing ladders, driving boats, swimming, and overcoming all of the obstacles on our set. It’s a test of any person’s determination and abilities. Performing the role is 50% Olympics and 50% theater. Throughout the storyline, Ebony takes place in several stunt fights and performs stunts all across the set, including a zip line and jumping from heights. Delivering her lines in an American accent while doing all of this makes it much more challenging. The immense concentration required is astounding and she never faltered. Ebony is a consummate pro on all sides.”
De La Haye’s role as Helen in Waterworld was the perfect bridge between her award-winning athletic career and her involvement these days as a professional stuntwoman in feature films. The soon to be released Sweetheart and Prey show her performing the same precarious stunts with the intensity and ability that she has used the world over. Ebony De La Haye learned from an early age that she can achieve her aspirations with determination. The venue may have changed but the drive and talent applies wherever she focuses it.