DAY 12: The Task is Sisyphian, but Giving Up is Not an Option
What happens when what started on the “fringe” takes centrestage?
It becomes a global celebration of everything art. For 78 years, the cobblestones of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe have witnessed the move of the margin to the mainstream. …And this year, it will also give volume to the 50 curated climate narratives that refuse to stay silent.
Storyteller and Arts Enthusiast Himali Kothari reports from Edinburgh.
Day 12:
On most days, it is difficult not to feel like a hypocrite writing and reading about the climate crisis as one goes about the day, every footstep adding to the carbon footprint. Achieving carbon neutrality seems an impossibility, and the calculators appear as much a myth as the claim that celery is a negative-calorie food. The plays on the CCTA programme today are a good reminder that the inevitability of what is likely to go down cannot be a reason for giving up.
Chantal Bilodeau’s play Homo Sapiens is set on an Earth 1,500 years in the future. Homo sapiens have gone extinct, and all that remains are a few specimens preserved in an enclosure. Who has replaced Homo sapiens (the wise ones)? Homo evolutis (the evolved ones). Scary? Yes. Likely? Probably. Bilodeau’s inspiration for the play came from Elizabeth Kolbert’s book The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History. “It made me realise that, like every other mammal species, humans too will be extinct one day,” she says.
So then why bother, I wonder? Why bother to fight impending doom?
Because, as Bilodeau says in her play:
“…some of you fought hard. And isn’t it wonderful? You evolved. All of the shit you went through made you evolve into me, a new species, which, granted, is not the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it’s a step forward.”
Playwright Ellen Lewis lives on a small farm in Oregon, USA, which gives her an intimate view of the natural world. “We grow a garden. We plant trees. We make sure there are flowers for the bees. We worry about there not being enough water, and about fires. All of these concerns go into my plays,” she says.
Written in the form of a free-flowing verse, her play Earth Duet is inspired by a verse by Emily Dickinson:
In this short life || That only lasts an hour || How much—how little || Is within our power?
Through her verse, Lewis probes whether the reason behind our inaction lies in the fact that our life is transient. She accepts the veracity of the statement but encourages us to be “good stewards of the earth.”
Kevin Loring’s play Original Fire plays out in the form of a conversation between three humans of different generations. As they stand around a burning flame, they discuss the history of fire and how it evolved from a protector against heat and light to a weapon for destruction. The play leaves us to ponder: Fire is so much a part of our lives that it is impossible to ignore it—but can we control it before we run out of time?
“I have tried to put a theatrical lens on the Pyrocene, described as the epoch during which humanity has altered the planet through the use of fire,” says Loring, whose play is derived from a monologue he wrote for The Pipeline Project, a play he has co-authored.
Elyne Quan’s Pond Life is set by a pond where two frogs deliberate on the deteriorating situation of their home. As they panic over the end that appears in sight, they realise they can either give up or round up the others and do something to make a change.
“I wanted to explore not only the struggle of life under environmental threat but how interconnected we are with our world and with each other. While these characters may seem powerless, they—like us—can find strength in community,” says Quan.
The programme today is presented by Portugal-based Companhia de Teatro de Sintra – Chão de Oliva. While the company is not focused solely on addressing the climate crisis, their work is rooted in the belief that art can play a role in bringing about equity and justice in society. The audience interaction after the spirited reading performance leads to a discussion on how the climate conversation is being affected by the political situation not just in Portugal but around the world. Additionally, there are other factors that also affect the chatter around climate change. Lithium deposits were recently discovered in the northeast of Portugal. These mines could be the source of mammoth quantities of lithium. The environmental impact will be devastating. But will it be sidelined for economic benefits?
This is not a question for Portugal alone. These are the questions regions around the world have to grapple with daily.
As do we, as individuals. If only there were an answer key one could turn to.
While we sip ethically acquired, sustainable coffee in the steel mug we carried from home and mull over doing our part (and enough of it), here is an obligation-free call to action:
~ Click on the following link – Get Involved – Climate Change Theatre Action
~ Download the guidelines for hosting a CCTA event.
~ Email ccta@artsandclimate.org for access to the plays. That’s it—just an email!
~ Read the plays, choose the ones you like, and present them.
~ You could be a theatre company, a school drama club, a reading group, aspiring environmentalists—anyone can GET INVOLVED.
