The Arts as Ally: Earth Day/Month/Year 2017
We are almost four full months into 2017, and already there have been multiple large-scale international public demonstrations, starting most
Author: juliaslevine
Reimagined Conversations, Empowered Narratives
Since November, I’ve been engaging in more and more conversations around climate. Some formal, like the series of Environmental Justice
Festivity in the Darkness
My inbox is flooded with petitions and calls to action. I’m calling and tweeting more than ever. These are amongst
Another World Is Possible: Displays from the Women’s March
“We are unstoppable, another world is possible.” One of my favorite rally cries from the Women’s March on Washington is carrying me through the first week of this bonkers administration. This phrase, and the experience of being surrounded by thousands of people showing up for similar goals, signified to me the possibility for a sustainable future. The creativity on display, through signs, costumes, and performance, contributed to the impact of the weekend. These displays offered intersectional perspectives – the Women’s March was in no way solely about women, but about the equitable and just world that we want to live in, despite what the people in power have in mind. Walking out of the D.C. Metro on Friday, January 20 was like entering a ghost town. No cars, very few people, eerie silence. There was the familiarity of red, white, and blue, of a Starbucks on every corner. Familiar, but not comforting. These symbols of nationalism and consumerism are not
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A Year in Theatrical Review, Featuring Climate Change
As this year sprints to a close, I’ve been thinking back on what all has happened in the world, the country, the city I live in. And then I have to take a breath. Slowing it down in my mind, I reflect on the outside world: the fears, the confusion, the urgency. Then I reflect on the experiences I’ve had inside a theatre, and how so many of those experiences drew together events and questions from the world at large, putting them into conversation with theatre audiences. Most of the plays that I’ve seen are not about the planet’s climate. The plays that I’m reflecting on inspire me to address climate change more intersectionally, using tactics that reach audiences not only on environmental questions, but also around political and cultural considerations. What follows is not an exhaustive list, nor a series of critical reviews, but rather some standout theatrical experiences of the past year, and how they are fueling me
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Theatre, Climate Change, and an Election Year
Different artists have different relationships to systems, particularly political systems. To me, as an artist seeking to illuminate the flawed
