A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction

There is some flickering light in the performance.

Background

In 2012, the British director Katie Mitchell decided to stop flying and has made six pieces about climate change since. ‘I made this decision, as a citizen, because I wanted to be able to look at myself in the mirror and say: “I did something. I took action.”’ 

For the first version of A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction, she staged an eco-feminist monologue by Miranda Rose Hall that reflects on our responsibilities and means of action in the face of an ecological disaster. She chose this text from an American playwright as she shares an artistic and social awareness at the intersection of feminism and eco-activism with her.

Mitchell’s approach extends the play’s ecological concerns beyond the scope of the drama and explores ways of creating a future for theatre that is ecologically responsible, both in its technical implementation and its touring model. For instance, the audience is able to see how the power consumed by the piece is generated on the spot.

Travelling concept

Instead of touring this production (which would require lots of flying), only Mitchell’s concept will be going round the world. A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction is the first instalment in the Sustainable Theatre? project in which makers explore ways of making theatre in a sustainable manner. Mitchell has integrated the ecological impact of her piece into its purpose and form, experimenting with a different way of conceiving all the aspects that make up a piece of theatre: technical, economic, cultural, local. The piece will tour in script form and will be re-staged during each tour and performed by a team of local artists.

Eerie monologue

The performance of an environmental play is cancelled at the last minute, and the production dramaturge is asked to explain what has happened, which results in an eerie monologue. Rather than sticking to a script with which she no longer quite agrees, the dramaturge decides to improvise her own unique eco-dramaturgical production. The dramaturge takes us on a journey through time from the beginning of the world until today, articulating our shared fears and despair about the climate emergency. Drawing on her personal reflections as well as her scientific research, she invites us to reflect on the world that surrounds us and the unrelenting, man-made destruction we are now facing. Sharing her own memories of connectedness and inviting the audience to contribute theirs, she asks: what does it mean to be alive, together, in a time of extinction? The storyline - the fictional dramaturge’s decision to step onto the stage and give voice to her reflections - resonates with the entire theatrical institution’s necessary re-evaluation in light of the climate emergency.

The Dutch interpretation

For the Holland Festival, a local cast and crew will take the concept and put their own spin on it. The text remains intact, though translator Jibbe Willems has slightly adapted it to the new setting. The music is the result of a collaboration with singer and composer Annelinde Bruijs. Director Floor Houwink ten Cate has brought together a group of twelve feminine voices to tell the story: lead Joy Wielkens, composer Annelinde Bruijs, percussionist Meiyi Lee and a choir consisting of eight women and a non-binary person.

Eco-feminism

Though Houwink Ten Cate feels a concept like eco-feminism is not easily defined, she finds it important to put the focus on women and the female perspective in this piece: ‘I really felt that this script was by and about a woman.’ Besides: ‘Women are the ones giving birth to life and keeping the world turning, and I want to show how much energy this takes. It’s a kind of workout opera’. The piece appears to contrast the mourning for a person with the mourning of entire species. They are different forms of mourning: one can be felt, the other is too large to fathom. But Houwink Ten Cate is adamant it is not all catastrophizing: ‘Attitudes need to change: it’s going wrong now, but we can certainly achieve something through collective efforts!’