Keeling Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

Climate Change Theatre Action (CCTA) is a worldwide series of readings and performances of short plays about the climate crisis, presented in the fall to coincide with the United Nations Climate Conferences. CCTA commissions 50 playwrights from around the world to write empowering narratives which explore ethical questions about climate change that science alone cannot address; brings large and small communities together around climate stories to inspire thinking on various ecological scales; and provides opportunities for people to take personal and collective action to reduce their carbon footprint and support bold climate policies.

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How Project Affects Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions:

This project reduces greenhouse gases in two ways. The first is through the distributed model of production of the project. The second is through the impact of climate education of the events coordinated through the project. Through the first method of reduction, the distributed model of cultural production, there is a comparative reduction in GHG created by inverting the conventions of moving performance projects to different audiences. In traditional modes of production, projects are made accessible to audiences by either congregating that audience in one place, or by touring the work to different audiences. The intent of these forms of presentation is to present specific complete production for each audience. Climate Change Theatre Action inverts this by distributing the source material for local participants to produce. By focusing on infrastructure and network building to support the presentation of the plays commissioned for the project, the localization reduces the travel otherwise required to tour the work. This has the effect of eliminating the majority of long-distance travel required to share this work through a tour, or through audience attendance. In comparisons looking at single-location events versus distributed events with eight sites to reduce flying, our research has shown a reduction of 78% of GHG in North America. Increasing the number of locations to hundreds, and decreasing the distance between these sites, further reduces GHG emissions in comparison to either conventional presentation method. The second method that contributes to GHG reduction, though harder to measure precisely, is perhaps more important and significant. This is the impact of behavioral change in the artists and audiences prompted by climate education engaged through CCTA events, and the intrinsic impacts of the project. These changes are supported by CCTA events in a few different ways. To be included as an official CCTA event, we ask our producing partners to accompany their presentations of the plays, in whatever format, with a climate positive action. This includes pairing the artistic offerings with presentations on climate science, tying events to specific local climate issues, making information about GHG and climate change accessible, local, and actionable. Additionally, based on findings from research in the field of intrinsic impact, it is expected that CCTA events support social cohesion and the building of individual and community identity, which is documented to lead to potential behavioral changes and activism. The theoretical basis for Intrinsic Impact grew out of consultancy WolfBrown‚ work for the Major University Presenters consortium. In that study, Assessing the Intrinsic Impacts of a Live Performance, audience members were surveyed both before performances, to assess their readiness to receive the art, and after performances, to assess the intrinsic impacts they derived from the experience. Behavioral change that results from participation in or attendance to a CCTA event may be difficult to establish. Through the research work of PhD candidate Brooke Wood at Texas Tech University, we have documented commitments to climate action from a significant number of CCTA events in the United states in 2019. We look forward to following up with reviewing this in the next iteration of the CCTA and to see how these commitments have evolved or returnees have made good on previous commitments.

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Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

CCTA relies on artists from all over the world to rally around a common idea, and find partners and resources within their community to put together theatrical events in service of social change. Unlike traditional models of production where resources are held by institutions and serve only a handful of artists, CCTA is entirely artist-driven, serves hundreds of artists, and reaches thousands of audience members worldwide. 

For every CCTA, our 50 playwrights are carefully chosen to represent all inhabited continents and dozens of cultures, including several Indigenous nations. They range in age from early 20s to mid-60s, come from urban and rural areas, and represent several vulnerable communities, both in the U.S. and abroad. 

Producing partners are self-selected. They are invited to organize events that fit their resources and the needs of their communities, using one or several plays from our collection and including materials of their own. They typically include theatres, universities, schools, environmental organizations, faith organizations, individual artists and activists, and conference organizers. Most events are free so there is a low barrier to attendance and because they are locally organized, events often serve new audiences. Among our many successes, we have seen sold-out runs, demand for reprises, requests from local governments to bring the plays to schools throughout their cities, and an invitation to perform at the European Parliament.

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