The Green Rooms: The Earth is Watching…Let’s Act

NAC English Theatre in partnership with The Canada Council for the Arts, and FOLDA presented The Green Rooms: The Earth is Watching…Let’s Act livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv from Wednesday 10 June to Saturday 12 June 2020.

What are the Green Rooms?

As part of its response to the escalating climate crisis – and in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic – NAC English Theatre in partnership with Festival of Live Digital Art (FOLDA), the Canada Council for the Arts, The City of Kingston and The National Theatre School is bringing together participants for an extraordinary three-day/three-country digital experiment to re-imagine the future of theatre

Join us for spirited conversations with leaders in fields such as climate activism, ecological economy and environmental humanities, as well as with theatre artists and leaders who have found innovative ways to engage with the climate crisis.

A limited number of active participants will join the event on Zoom, from eight cities across three countries: Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Kingston, Montreal, and Halifax, as well as London (U.K.) and New York. In addition, a livestream of the event will be accessible to spectators everywhere.

Co-curated by Sarah Garton Stanley and Chantal Bilodeau.

The Green Rooms include various events from webinars to artistic performances.

SCHEDULE: (subject to change)

Wednesday 10 June

Opening and Keynote
4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. (EDT)
Opening picnic features 120 participants from eight cities/three countries, a keynote address by Eriel Tchekwie Deranger from Indigenous Climate Action, a performance by circus artist Erin Ball, plus much much more!

DAY 2: Thursday 11 June

Climate Despair

How Artists Respond

Leadership Structures for Change

DJ Syrus Marcus Ware: Dance Like the Earth is Watching - 10-11 p.m. EDT

DAY 3: Friday 12 June

2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. (EDT)
Co-created performative event (more details to come)

The Future

Ecological Economics

How do I partake?

There are two options for those interested in the Green Rooms:

1. As a participant. You can join in and help shape the events. More information below.
2. As an audience. You can observe the Green Rooms on FOLDA.ca during the times listed below

I want to participate, what do I need to know?

Awesome!

Steps for participating:

1. Send an email to [email protected] with “I want to participate” in the subject line.
2. You’ll first need to register for the events you’d like to attend. Each of the 8 events has its own registration. You do not need to attend all of them, but we would recommend attending as many as possible to get the full experience.
3. When registering please be sure to select the ticket option for the city you are most affiliated with. This could mean you live there or nearby, you’re from there, or you have a particularly strong affinity with the city.
4. Each of the 8 events will have its own Zoom link which you will be emailed in advance.

What you’ll need:

1. A stable internet connection and headphones. We recommend plugging into your modem with an ethernet cable, if possible
2. Paper and a writing utensil
3. Headphones if you have them
4. A favourite object from the city you’re registered with
5. A favourite food from said city
6. A collaborative spirit
7. Curiosity
8. If you don’t live in any of the cities, choose a city that you love and want to learn more about!

Participating is not for me, how do I watch?

You can view the streams for free on on this page during the live times outlined above.

As we are actively exploring how our actions impact climate change we ask that you register your attendance for the livestream here. This will allow us to track the carbon footprint of the event.

Does it cost anything?

No, the Green Rooms is free to participate in and observe. The Festival of Live Digital Art is entirely by donation and if you’d like to contribute to its future you can do so here.

Where can I find out more information?

For information about the Green Rooms please email [email protected]

For information about The Cycle and the NAC please click here.

For information about FOLDA please click here.

About HowlRound TV

HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based peer produced, open access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound. HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world's performing arts and cultural fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and to develop our knowledge commons collectively. Participate in a community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us. Learn more by going to our participate page. For any other queries, email [email protected], or call Vijay Mathew at +1 917.686.3185 Signal/WhatsApp. View the video archive of past events.