MAY WE HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE? CLIMATE CHANGE IS URGENT AND CHANGE NEEDS TO HAPPEN NOW

Abstract

Anthropocene, a high-impact original physical theater performance, examines how human progress has led to a new and dangerous geological age. The convergence of the global syndemic—the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, social justice unrest, and social systems pushed to their breaking point—indicates an imperative for real change. The topic of human-caused climate change is urgent. Indeed, in August 2021, the United Nations (UN) issued a report declaring “a code red for humanity. The alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable” [1]. Because scientific data can be opaque and difficult to decipher, climate scientists face challenges in prompting the general public to act. This is where performance comes in. Anthropocene, a multi-year transdisciplinary performance project, fuses innovative aesthetics, evocative storytelling, and sustainable production processes to express the acute need for climate action. The piece foregrounds physical and visual storytelling by staging movement-based episodes that are woven together to examine key questions: