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App State Theater Club and the In/Visible Theater Present the Climate Change Theatre Action Project

 

The In/Visible Theatre of Boone, and the Playcrafters of Appalachian State University Theatre club, are collaborating to participate in the Climate Change Theatre Action Project. On Friday, November 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the I.G. Greer  Auditorium, the two groups will perform staged readings of ten short plays about climate change.  The ten scripts are from a collection of fifty plays that were written by international playwrights.  This artistic collaboration is the only event taking place in North Carolina, however, 49 states are participating in similar events.  Over 30 countries are participating in the Climate Change Theater Action Project. 

 

The Climate Change Theatre Action Project began in 2015; it is a worldwide series of readings and performances of short climate change plays, that are presented biennially in support of the United Nations Conference of the Parties.  The event has been featured in the Yale Press and the American Theatre Magazine. The initiative uses theatre to foster dialogue pertaining to the global climate  crisis, and encourages discussion of future visions and aspirations revolving around climate change. The effort is in hopes of educating others about the global climate crisis.  

 

“Appalachian State University is the perfect North Carolina host for this project,” said the Playmakers Club Presdent, Kenny Petroski.  “The school has a great reputation for sustainable initiatives. Most students graduate with more environmental awareness than they had before college, so we’re excited to show people that theatre is a great way to understand and learn about  climate change issues. The audience is encouraged to take action.”  

 

The content of the plays vary in topic and style, with stories ranging from a realistic portrayal of a first date that happens to be an environmentalistic test, to a portrayal of two eagles living on the edge of a huge trash dump.  

 

“This project fits into Appalachian’s current initiative to link sustainability and storytelling,” said Dr. Derek Davidson, senior lecturer in the Appalachian State Department of Theatre and Dance and Artistic Director of In/Visible Theatre. “Our campus is one of only three in the country that has created a climate narrative project. Along with Yale and the University of Iowa, we have a new project that explores how climate change storytelling in our community can help people understand these issues better, and understand how they permeate all aspects of our area and our culture.”  

 

The participants involved in the project includes students, professional directors, actors, tech members, entrepreneurs, and locals.   

 

“The wide range of people involved in the project reflects the kind of people who are affected by our changing climate, which is pretty much everyone,” said Davidson.  

 

The readings are free and open to the public.  

 

The readings feature the work of Shane Bucheit, Sam Cole, Christina Donovan, Lydia Congdon, Daniel Adkins, Matt Denney, Derek Davidson, Sean Flynn, Emma Harkins, Jenna Tonsor, Kat Chaffin, Kenny Petroski, Ian Lee, Teresa Lee, Dylan Lawrence, Loretta Clawson, Max Probst, Noelle Austin, Susan Devine, Sandra Diaz, Anisha Sharma, Tiffany and Rayna Christian, Morgan White, Micah Wiggins, Jayden Lorentz, Joe Purdue and Chloe Lang.