2071: A Performance About Climate Change image via Seymour Centre.
2071: A Performance About Climate Change is part of Seymour’s Great Ideas Performance series, encouraging thought and public discourse around big contemporary questions on the significant issues of our time. Directed by Seymour Centre Artistic Director: Tim Jones, and has been produced in collaboration with ATYP (Australian Theatre for Young People). 2071 isn’t really a ‘play’ as such, rather it could probably be described as a fascinating, scary dramatized lecture. It was first produced by London’s Royal Court Theatre in 2014 and the text is fashioned from the words of one of the world’s foremost climate change scientists, Professor Chris Rapley.
There is no ‘set’ as such rather a projection screen at the back of the stage, a chair and a teleprompt podium. Stunning state-of-the-art projections created by Joe Crossley (Vivid Sydney) and an original musical score by award-winning composer Andrée Greenwell (Gothic, Vivid 2015) are also included.
John Gaden as Rapley is magnificent. In a towering performance he is like a refined, much loved inspirational and charismatic lecturer. Reams of scientific data is presented – he rattles off statistics, dates, treaties and percentages in a scary and disturbing analysis of climate change and how our planet is affected. The melting of ice sheets in Antartica, global warming, our overuse of fossils fuels and over production of carbon emissions are among subjects detailed.
The six young people from ATYP (Lucy Brownlie, Heath Jelovic, Ellery Joyce, Jacqueline Morrison, Sasha Rose, Matthew Simmons) are terrific, acting as accompaniment to Rapley’s thoughtful, impassioned speech. Sometimes they create a sculptural, machine like mass with long, waving angular, linked arms, at others they breathe and pulsate as one. They also variously interact with each other and Rapley providing information and quotes. There is a wonderful sense of overlapping voices and speech rhythms.
The performance asks: what of the future, what can we do? How can we reduce our carbon footprint and do more to reduce global warming? What will the world be like in 2071 – how will it have changed, what will have been lost and what are the consequences for humanity? We are warned that science predicts an impending ecological disaster and there is a great sense of urgency.
Our planet’s climate has changed, it is humankind’s fault, and we are by no means doing enough to save the planet. Some of us are trying but we cannot afford to be complacent and inactive.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
2071 : A PERFORMANCE ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE
CREATIVE TEAM
Director: Tim Jones
Composer and Sound Designer: Andrée Greenwell
Media Artwork: Joe Crossley (Epson), Heckler & Sixty Forty
Movement Director: Patricia Wood
Costume Designer: Melanie Liertz
Featuring:
John Gaden
Lucy Brownlie
Sasha Rose
Ellery Joyce
Matthew Simmons
Jacqueline Morrison
Heath Jelovic
2071 runs at the Seymour Centre May 26 – Jun 10, 2017
