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Climate Emergency

Climate change poses an existential threat to humanity and theatremakers need to be part of addressing it. Here, you’ll find content about artistic work that engages with the climate crisis, as well as learnings about how to make theatre practices more eco-friendly. Chantal Bilodeau’s long-running Theatre in the Age of Climate Change series is a must-read, and don’t miss Groundwater Arts’s video series on the Green New Theater.

The Latest

We Are All Kin to the Cove Brings Climate-Engaged Community Performance to Queens, New York
Essay
We Are All Kin to the Cove Brings Climate-Engaged Community Performance to Queens, New York
by Talia Rodriguez
22 September 2022
Climate Change Discourse in Performing Arts and a Performance of Habituare (Habituation) by Ioana Hogman
Video
Climate Change Discourse in Performing Arts and a Performance of Habituare (Habituation) by Ioana Hogman
A Focus on the Concept of Solastalgia, Hosted by Reactor in Cluj, Romania
Wednesday 29 June and Thursday 30 June 2022
Cluj, Romania
2022 TCG National Conference: Pittsburgh
Video
2022 TCG National Conference: Pittsburgh
Redefining Our Art. Transforming Our Practices. Tending to Our People.
Thursday 16 June to Saturday 18 June 2022
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Five people on the beach gesturing towards the setting sun.
We Are All Kin to the Cove Brings Climate-Engaged Community Performance to Queens, New York
Essay

We Are All Kin to the Cove Brings Climate-Engaged Community Performance to Queens, New York

22 September 2022

Talia Rodriguez details the generative process for We Are Kin to the Cove, a site-specific, community-engaged performance exploring the historical and contemporary relationships water and humanity at a cove on New York’s East River.

event poster for solastalgia, Climate Change Discourse in Performing Arts.
Climate Change Discourse in Performing Arts and a Performance of Habituare (Habituation) by Ioana Hogman
reactor logo.
Reactor
Video

Climate Change Discourse in Performing Arts and a Performance of Habituare (Habituation) by Ioana Hogman

A Focus on the Concept of Solastalgia, Hosted by Reactor in Cluj, Romania

Wednesday 29 June and Thursday 30 June 2022
Cluj, Romania

Reactor presented a conversation on Climate Change Discourse in Performing Arts and a performance of Habituare (Habituation) by Ioana Hogman, livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Wednesday 29 June and Thursday 30 June at 9 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 12 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 4 p.m. UTC +0 / 7 p.m. EEST (Cluj-Napoca, UTC +3).

2022 TCG Conference in Pittsburgh event poster.
2022 TCG National Conference: Pittsburgh
orange circle with T C G text
TCG
Video

2022 TCG National Conference: Pittsburgh

Redefining Our Art. Transforming Our Practices. Tending to Our People.

Thursday 16 June to Saturday 18 June 2022
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) presented the 2022 TCG National Conference: Pittsburgh livestreaming on the commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network from Thursday 16 June to Saturday 18 June 2022.

event poster for the gathering 2022.
The Gathering from the CrossCurrents Festival
the lab black and white logo
The Lab at Georgetown
Video

The Gathering from the CrossCurrents Festival

Productions, Readings, Discussions, and Workshops Focusing on Climate Change, Immigration, and Indigeneity

Wednesday 4 May to Saturday 7 May 2022
United States

The Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. presented The Gathering, livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv from Wednesday 4 May to Saturday 7 May 2022.

Three actors performing outdoors.
On Hauling Water: Outdoor Theatre as Re-Enchantment amidst Climate Crisis
Essay

On Hauling Water: Outdoor Theatre as Re-Enchantment amidst Climate Crisis

2 May 2022

Theatre artist Elle Thoni shares their experience working on the outdoor theatre production of a futuristic musical, Queen B, and challenges institutional ideas on how and where theatre can take place.

Climate Emergency Series Ending
The Corpo Quebrada and Ecopoetics of the Commons / O Corpo Quebrada e as Ecopoéticas dos Comuns
Essay

The Corpo Quebrada and Ecopoetics of the Commons / O Corpo Quebrada e as Ecopoéticas dos Comuns

22 April 2022

Gabriel Augusto Liparini Queiroz sits down with Adilson Siqueira, Aneliza Rodrigues Prado, and Patrick Veniali da Silva to discuss their work at the Laboratory of Ecopoetics (ECOLAB) at the Federal University of São João del-Rei. They share their research on the concept of the corpo quebrada—literally the “bent body”—which responds to ecological crisis by embodying resilience and flexibility.

Four people kneeling around bowls of water.
Teatro Preto do Candomblé’: The Art of Eco-Reconnection
Essay

Teatro Preto do Candomblé’: The Art of Eco-Reconnection

21 April 2022

Onisajé shares the creative process of Teatro Preto do Candomblé, which trains actors using the rituals and liturgy of Candomblé as a method of actor training. Through immersion in this African diasporic religion, Teatro Preto do Candomblé’s methods center reciprocal relationships with the environment and activate individuals’ connection to their Blackness.

A shirtless man holds up a book.
Learning from Sources: Performance and Climate Crisis in Four Brazilian Works
Essay

Learning from Sources: Performance and Climate Crisis in Four Brazilian Works

20 April 2022

In Martin Domecq’s contribution to the Climate Emergency series, he puts four Brazillian performance art pieces in conversation to draw upon the poetic, political, and civic lessons they offer. These performances—which range from installations to solo and group performances—model possible paradigms that work against ecological crisis.

A welcome mat lying on the ground amongst bits of paper.
Eco-Performance: Brazil
Essay

Eco-Performance: Brazil

19 April 2022

Elizabeth Doud introduces the Climate Emergency series, which looks to Brazilian artivism for reparative paths forward in the face of climate change.

a puppet of frederick douglass sits on a bench reading a newspaper.
The Ellen Van Volkenburg Puppetry Symposium
a silhouette of a head in profile with the silhouette of a man in a boat where the brain would be.
The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival
The School of the Art Institute Chicago logo with initials S A I C.
The School of the Art Institute Chicago
Video

The Ellen Van Volkenburg Puppetry Symposium

Bringing together practicing Festival artists with scholars to consider the intersection of puppetry with other disciplines and ideas

Saturday 22 and Saturday 29 January 2022
Chicago, Illinois

The 2022 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival and The School of the Art Institute Chicago presented The Ellen Van Volkenburg Puppetry Symposium livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network on Saturday 22 January and Saturday 29 January 2022.

event poster for Climate Action in a Global Landscape: A TCG Virtual Summit.
Climate Action in a Global Landscape
orange circle with T C G text
TCG
Video

Climate Action in a Global Landscape

A Theatre Communications Group Virtual Summit

Thursday 9 December 2021
United States

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) presented Climate Action in a Global Landscape: A TCG Virtual Summit as part of the 2021-2022 TCG Fall-Winter Convening Season: Crisis and Transformation, livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network on Thursday 9 December 2021 at 10 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 1 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 18:00 GMT (London, UTC +0) / 19:00 CET (Berlin, UTC +1).

Imagining a New Federal Theatre Project with Corinna Schulenberg and Dr. Elizabeth A. Osborne
Podcast

Imagining a New Federal Theatre Project with Corinna Schulenberg and Dr. Elizabeth A. Osborne

24 November 2021

As a part of the New Deal, the Federal Theatre Project of the 1930s funded theatre in the United States at an unprecedented level, providing paid work for trained theatremakers and low-cost performances to audiences all around the country. Corinna Schulenberg and Dr. Elizabeth A. Osborne discuss the history of the Federal Theatre Project and its potential to act as a model for a New Federal Theatre Project formed in conjunction with racial justice, climate justice, and Land Back movements.

Event poster for the Liverpool Arab Arts Festival conversation.
ARTISTS/IDEAS/NOW—Patriarchy and the Climate Crisis
Liverpool Arab Arts Festival logo.
Liverpool Arab Arts Festival
Video

ARTISTS/IDEAS/NOW—Patriarchy and the Climate Crisis

How Can Artists Help Illuminate the Parallels Between Society's Treatment of Women and Nature?

Tuesday 23 November 2021
United Kingdom

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival presented ARTISTS/IDEAS/NOW—Patriarchy and the Climate Crisis livestreaming on the commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Tuesday 23 November at 10 a.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 1 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 6 p.m. GMT (London, UTC +1) / 19:00 CET (Berlin, UTC +2).

stick figure drawing representing future artists in solidarity.
ArtsLink Assembly 2021: Future Fellows
CEC Artslink logo.
CEC ArtsLink
Vera List Center Logo.
Vera List Center for Art and Politics
Video

ArtsLink Assembly 2021: Future Fellows

An Annual Convening of Transnational Artists, Thinkers, and Activists Working with Culture to Create a Better World

Friday 19 November 2021
New York City

Building on last year’s theme of resilience and community engagement, ArtsLink Assembly 2021 focused on the artists and arts leaders, the Future Fellows, creating new networks and structures locally and transnationally to support independent artists in a post-pandemic world. Livestreamed on the commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network Friday 19 November 2021.

event poster for artists ideas now our camp on fire.
ARTISTS/IDEAS/NOW—Our Camp on Fire
Liverpool Arab Arts Festival logo.
Liverpool Arab Arts Festival
Creative Destruction logo.
Creative Destruction
Video

ARTISTS/IDEAS/NOW—Our Camp on Fire

Looking at the Perspective of the Climate Crisis Through the Eyes of Refugees and People Under Threat of Displacement

Wednesday 13 October 2021
Liverpool, United Kingdom

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival presented ARTISTS/IDEAS/NOW—Our Camp on Fire livestreaming on the commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Wednesday 13 October 2021 at 10 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 12 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 1 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 6 p.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 19:00 CEST (Berlin, UTC +2).

poster for the artists, ideas, now, imagine democracy event.
Artists/Ideas/Now—Imagine Democracy
Liverpool Arab Arts Festival logo.
Liverpool Arab Arts Festival
Creative Destruction logo.
Creative Destruction
Video

Artists/Ideas/Now—Imagine Democracy

A Conversation About the Climate Crisis and its Impact in the Middle East and North Africa

Wednesday 15 September 2021
Liverpool, United Kingdom

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival presented ARTISTS/IDEAS/NOW—Imagine Democracy livestreaming on the commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Wednesday 15 September 2021 at 10 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 12 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 1 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 6 p.m. BST (London, UTC +1) / 19:00 CEST (Berlin, UTC +2).

A floating jellyfish-like figure made out of a large sheet and plastic bags. The lighting is pink with the word mixtape on the sheet.
It's Not Easy Being Green
Essay

It's Not Easy Being Green

14 September 2021

Playwright John J King shares his experience with and advice for centering sustainability in theatre productions.

A black woman playing a horn in an outdoor climate protest.
Performance and Environmental Justice
The Ringling museum's logo.
The Ringling
Video

Performance and Environmental Justice

Part of Ecoperformance Week at The Ringling

Wednesday 8 September 2021
Sarasota, Florida, United States

This panel presented perspectives that elucidate and redefine environmental justice and how culture, performance, and storytelling impact awareness and social transformation around these issues. Livestreaming on the commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network Wednesday 8 September 2021 at 4:30 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles, UTC -7) / 6:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 7:30 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -7).

Three people sitting onstage, one of them holding a globe, and five spirits above them, one in the middle connecting two blocks with a spark in between them.
Public Access Archives: The End of the Theatre Industry
Essay

Public Access Archives: The End of the Theatre Industry

7 September 2021

Taylor Leigh Lamb and Sabine Decatur share emails, letters, social media posts, and more from the future that represent the period of profound change in the theatre industry beginning in 2021.

poster for get fossil fuels off the stage.
Get Fossil Fuels Off the Stage!
Groundwater Arts
Video

Get Fossil Fuels Off the Stage!

With a Performance of The Water Song by Oogie Push and a Contract Rider Panel on Divestment.

Saturday 14 August 2021
United States

Groundwater Arts presented Get Fossil Fuels Off the Stage! which includes a performance of The Water Song by Oogie Push followed by a contract rider panel on divestment featuring Nikkole Salter, Brandon Michael Nase, and Michael Fran. Livestreamed on the commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Saturday 14 August 2021 at 1 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles, UTC -7) / 3 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 4 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 21:00 BST (London, UTC +1) / 22:00 CEST (Berlin, UTC +2).

Illustration by Silent Fox, inspired by the essay.
When Theatre Will Become Fully Itself: Digital Supratheatre and the Fight for an Inclusive Future
Essay

When Theatre Will Become Fully Itself: Digital Supratheatre and the Fight for an Inclusive Future

Translated by Cecilia Laslo

25 May 2021

Mihaela Drăgan introduces digital supratheatre—a theatre of the future with two underlying principles: technological change and social change.

event poster for the our theatre ecology.
Our Theater Ecology
orange circle with T C G text
TCG
Video

Our Theater Ecology

TCG's 2021 National Conference Online

Thursday 13 May to Friday 21 May 2021
United States

Theatre Communications Group presented their 2021 National Conference: Our Theatre Ecology livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv from Thursday 13 May to Friday 21 May 2021.

event poster for climate action and environmental justice.
TCG Summit: Climate Action and Environmental Justice
orange circle with T C G text
TCG
Groundwater Arts
Broadway Green Alliance
Video

TCG Summit: Climate Action and Environmental Justice

A step toward bringing conversations on climate into theatre’s mainstream

Thursday 22 April 2021
United States

Theater Communications Group presented their inaugural Climate Action and Environmental Justice Summit livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 22 April 2021 at 10 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 12 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 1 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

Image of four tableaus with people experiencing time passing.
Letters From Warsaw
Essay

Letters From Warsaw

24 March 2021

Marta Keil and Grzegorz Reske share letters from the past and the future, from June 2020 to June 2029, detailing the changes to the theatrical landscape in their hometown of Warsaw, Poland.

a colorful illustration
Catalyzing Climate Justice by Divesting from Fossil Fuels
Essay

Catalyzing Climate Justice by Divesting from Fossil Fuels

19 February 2021

Annalisa Dias and Ronee Penoi, on behalf of Groundwater Arts, argue that there cannot be a just arts sector within an unjust world, and that contrary to what people think, arts workers do have the means and the agency to make change. What is needed is a new narrative.