Climate Change Theatre Action 2021

Discover the global movement Climate Change Theatre Action and some of its projects around the world.

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Founded in 2015, Climate Change Theatre Action is a worldwide series of readings and performances of short climate change plays presented biennially to coincide with the United Nations COP meetings.

Production of the play Sila written by Chantal Bilodeau (2014) by A. R. Sinclair PhotographyArt Aia - Creatives / In / Residence

History

CCTA was founded by Elaine Ávila, Chantal Bilodeau, Roberta Levitow, and Caridad Svich following a model pioneered by NoPassport Theatre Alliance. It has since evolved into a U.S.-Canada collaboration between The Arctic Cycle and the Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts

Erika Dickerson-Despenza by Joey StocksArt Aia - Creatives / In / Residence

50 playwrights

Playwrights from Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Hong Kong, India, Kenya, Korea, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Uganda, the UK, and the US, and from several Indigenous Nations have written  5-minute plays inspired by the Green New Deal and its global equivalents. 

Climate Change Theatre Action sul Tagliamento Trailer (2021) by Giovanni MorassuttiArt Aia - Creatives / In / Residence

ITALY: A project crowdfunded by the local community

In Italy Italian actor, director Giovanni Morassutti presented Climate Change Theatre Action sul Tagliamento. A multidisciplinary project that has been sponsored by the local community via a crowdfunding campaign.

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Sound of the Tagliamento
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A natural location on the side of the Tagliamento river

The location where Climate Change Theatre Action took place.

Legambiente flagArt Aia - Creatives / In / Residence

Action

Climate Change Theatre Action incorporates an action – educational, social, or political/civic. In Italy, there has been a conversation with environmental organization Legambiente who supported and co-created the event.

In Friuli Venezia Giulia, CCTA involved different partners, both public and private, including the Italian Regional Environmental Protection Agency, who illustrated to the public the effects of climate change, Environmentalist association Legambiente, La casa del sole who provided a solar power station, Naturasì, a company that bases its philosophy on sustainability, who brought the point of view of renewable energy and food and several local artists such as Silvia Braida among others.

Old kiln of San Paolo, Francesco SImoni, 2021, From the collection of: Art Aia - Creatives / In / Residence
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Breath, Silvia Braida, 2021, From the collection of: Art Aia - Creatives / In / Residence
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Solar power station, Edoardo Marcon, 2021, From the collection of: Art Aia - Creatives / In / Residence
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Quote from When (2021) by Chantal BilodeauArt Aia - Creatives / In / Residence

About the play
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When by Wren Brian

Wren started her diverse career in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada (territory of the Kwanlin Dün & Ta'an Kwäch'än) where she was born and raised. Wren is a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada and Prairie Theatre Exchange's Emerging Playwrights' Unit.   

Recording of When (directed by Giovanni Morassutti) (2021) by Enrico BasaldellaArt Aia - Creatives / In / Residence

When

The key moment of the event has been the production of When. The director added in the show also some recordings of memorable speeches delivered by young activists including Greta Thunberg , Autumn Peltier and Severn Cullis-Suzuki 

McIntryeCreek (2021) by Malkolm BoothroydArt Aia - Creatives / In / Residence

CANADA: When to protect a vital wildlife at McIntrye Creek

Nicole Schafenacker’s version of When was created to protect a vital wildlife corridor, McIntrye Creek or Chasán Chúa, that passes through Whitehorse, YT, Canada on the traditional territory of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta'an Kwäch'än Council.

When by Wren Brian was created also by Nicole Schafenacker in collaboration with the Yukon Chapter of the environmental organization Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. When brings together field recordings from McIntrye Creek/Chasàn Chùa, original music and text to create an otherworldly blending of human and non-human voices. This iteration of the project also features a movement performance within an installation created for Nakai Theatre’s annual Pivot festival in Whitehorse, YT.

Performed in the “Sun Room” at Nakai Theatre Pivot festival.

Directed by Nicole Schafenacker

Sound design and original music composition by Ashley Weckesser Featuring: Jordan Kaltenbruner, Meredith Pritchard and Nicole Schafenacker

Technical support: Norah Paton and Martin Nishikawa

The Oysters (2021) by Eve MorgensternArt Aia - Creatives / In / Residence

USA: SOON IS NOW: Climate theater on the Hudson River.

Hudson Valley and NYC-based artists performed CCTA commissioned plays ALL OF US WERE BORN IN THE CRISIS by D. Finnigan, THE OYSTERS by Miranda R. Hall, WHAT WE GIVE BACK by M. Sayet and BEDTIME STORY FOR MY (FUTURE) DAUGHTER by C. Shea-Violette.  

They also performed an excerpt from the play ESCAPEGOAT by May Treuhaft-Ali.

Edwin Torres (2021) by Eve MorgensternArt Aia - Creatives / In / Residence

Poetry reading by Edwin Torres

During the event there was an original performance by Edwin Torres, music by Elizabeth Clark and Tom King, poetry by Chet & Tom King, and visual art and activism.

Tom King (2021) by Eve MorgensternArt Aia - Creatives / In / Residence

Tom's trumpet
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Scenic Hudson's Long Dock Park

Long Dock Park, formerly a hazardous dumping site now transformed into a gorgeous public park by Scenic Hudson and Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architects was used as an outdoor theater.

CCTA in Austria (2021) by Shana BestockArt Aia - Creatives / In / Residence

AUSTRIA: Deal Me a New Green

In Austria , Shana Bestock, Arts Educator was able to connect on deeply human levels and fundamentally shift the sense of power and possibility of the students participating in CCTA.

Deal Me a New Green - CCTA in Austria
Entertaining performances and dynamic discussions of planetary connectedness and theater in the age of climate crisis at 4 Austrian universities. A collaboration with The Fulbright Specialist Program and the University of Graz.
What does it mean to be interconnected locally and across the globe? What keeps us from taking meaningful action, and how can we shift our thinking to move towards sustainable solutions for life on Earth? How will we wield the power we have, and how will our choices ripple through future generations?

Theatre-making was a brilliant choice to teach us about the concept of planetarity and relationality. Embracing the interconnectedness of the group on a microlevel made us understand how relationality could function on a bigger scale. - Student quote

Stage reading during CCTA Austria, Shana Bestock, 2021, From the collection of: Art Aia - Creatives / In / Residence
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Art class, Shana Bestock, 2021, From the collection of: Art Aia - Creatives / In / Residence
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Love out of the ruins by Theatro Technis Karolou Koun. 4Podcast Climate Change Theatre Action (2021) by Theatro Technis Karolou KounArt Aia - Creatives / In / Residence

GREECE: "Love Out Of Ruins"

Kart Productions in partnership with NOVUS Theatre, both based in Greece, presented a podcast-audio performance using the interactive text "Love Out Of Ruins" by Zoë Svendsen in which a number of voices imagined a different kind of future. 
 

Imaging the future these days is usually a bleak pursuit. Still, we strive to recognize the innovative and resilient nature of our species and to imagine its potential.

Top Euro Greece ParthenonLIFE Photo Collection

Love Out of the Ruins part 1
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Love of the ruins part 1

Love Out of the Ruins written by playwright Zoë Svendsen

Podcast cover (2021) by Theatro Technis Karolou KounArt Aia - Creatives / In / Residence

Love Out of the Ruins part 2
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Love out of the ruins part2

The podcast was produced by Maria Xanthopoulidou and Zoe Mylonas and presented December 10th, 2021 in both and English and Greek.

It is interested in the idea that the crucial work now is to create, imagine, build and make– in full knowledge that we don’t, can’t and won’t know ‘what works’ before we start, or even as we are making this attempt. In this there is jeopardy, and there is little time– any transformation will be living with climate unpredictability– the time for a ‘saviour’ mentality is past. The act of imagining alternative futures might usher in to reality possibilities that previously had been excluded. But at the very least, I hope you will find as we have, that imagining otherwise can offer a refuge from the ruins of the present– bearing witness to the fact it doesn’t have to be like this.- Zoë Svendsen

Tree of Climate Ribbon (2021) by Francesco SimoniArt Aia - Creatives / In / Residence

The Climate ribbon to protect us from Climate Chaos

Inspired by The Climate Ribbon project that started in New York City at the 2014 People’s Climate March by hanging ribbons on the tree, each participant communicates what they are afraid of losing the Climate Chaos and express their solidarity and will to fight against it.

Filtering (2018)Art Aia - Creatives / In / Residence

Other projects

Art Aia - Creatives / In / Residence has already collaborated with the CSPA in the  ATE - Residency in Sustainable Practice in 2018. Check the online exhibition here.

Credits: Story

Curated by Art Aia - Creatives / In / Residence and Giovanni Morassutti in collaboration with the Arctic Cycle and with the The Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts.
Thanks to Chantal Bilodeau, Nicole Schafenacker, Mary Xanthopoulidou, Eve Morgenstern and Shana Bestock.
More information about Climate Change Theatre Action.
Previous collaboration on sustainable practices in the arts can be found here.
 

Credits: All media
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