list.co.uk/festival Climate Change | F E S T I VA L T H E AT R E
Left to right: Play Before Birth, Landscape (1989), The Greenhouse; previous page: Vigil
says writer Daniel Hallissey, ‘but we have also created a QR code you can scan and a link will appear sending you to our show’s booking and information page. This saves paper, waste, trees, is environmentally friendly and sustainable.’ Emergency Chorus have ensured that their production Landscape (1989) can be packed into just three suitcases and found an Edinburgh-based printer who uses recycled paper and soy ink. Nevertheless, there are plenty of theatre companies who are keen to push environmental messages on the grounds of ‘raising awareness’, a possibly spurious belief that performance can have an impact on cultural attitudes. Theatre has rarely made direct social change, and the dangers of preaching to the converted, or investing resources in a production that plays to an empty auditorium, suggest that innovations in addressing the carbon footprint of an Edinburgh run are a more immediate way to combat climate change. Boyd, however, believes that productions which aim to raise awareness do have a role in the movement towards sustainability.
‘Alison Tickell, founder of Julie’s Bicycle [a not-for-profit organisation working to make environmental sustainability a core component in the arts and creative industries], explained it beautifully at their Season for Change briefing: the arts is the difference between knowing knowledge and feeling knowledge. Theatre, and other forms of art and entertainment, have the ability to create the stories needed to communicate the issue of climate change to the wider population.’ Debbie Hicks, producer of When the Birds Come, believes that ‘theatre can help us empathise with those already facing an insurmountable threat to their way of life,’ while Daniel Hallissey observes that ‘we connect with stories far better than we do facts.’ Clara Potter-Sweet and Ben Kulvichit from Emergency Chorus are positive that ‘theatre can add to the conversation – in ways which are intimate, emotional, nuanced, interdisciplinary. It is a space in which to pause, and think and feel deeply.’
There is a long way to go before the Edinburgh Festivals reconcile their environmental impact with an active commitment to becoming a solution, yet these artists are struggling against a set of conditions – financial stability, emotional wellbeing, the desire to find an audience for their message – to bring forward the conversation. Rather than preaching, theatre has a capacity to encourage a dialogue, and perhaps contains a more mysterious power. As Potter-Sweet and Kulvichit conclude, ‘it has the power to heal and transform people.’ And perhaps this energy can open up a more positive and effective approach that even reaches beyond the festival season.
Vigil, Summerhall, 6–25 Aug (not 12, 19), 1pm, £10 (£9). Previews 2–4 Aug, £8 (£7).
Play Before Birth, Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 12–24 Aug (not 18), times vary, £8 (£6). The Greenhouse by BoxedInTheatre, various shows during Aug at Pleasance Pop-up: Dynamic Earth, times and prices vary.
In the Shadow of the Black Dog, Assembly Rooms, 3–23 Aug, 6.30pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10). Previews 1 & 2 Aug, £6. Landscape (1989), ZOO Playground, 2–25 Aug (not 6, 13, 20), 12.45pm, £10 (£9).
When the Birds Come, Underbelly Cowgate, 3–25 Aug (not 12), 2.20pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10). Previews 1 & 2 Aug, £7.
31 Jul–7 Aug 2019 THE LIST FESTIVAL 107