Climate Change Theatre Action

Kelly Richmond, Michigan State University’s inaugural 1855 professor of arts and climate justice, said art has always been a part of social and conservation movements. 

“We don’t necessarily tend to think about art when we think about climate change. We tend to think about science and technology and infrastructure,” she said. “If we’re engaging in real practices of relationship and care, especially with our non-human neighbors, art is a core part of that. We write poetry, we write music, we make paintings, we create theater pieces. Humans have expressed their love and care for nature through art for all of human history.” 

The international Climate Change Theatre Action festival, a biannual event that combines five-minute plays by international authors and local climate activism, aims to recenter the narratives people hold about the climate crisis and conservation efforts, according to Richmond. 

“What we’re used to seeing in the media is that this is the apocalypse. Everything is gloom and doom,” she said. “Theater action is really thinking about how we can pivot that type of storytelling and also pivot how we think about the role of arts in activism. How can a festival be a gathering place that is full of joy and also action?” 

Richmond is the director of MSU’s branch of the festival, which will feature seven short plays, staged by MSU students and staff, as well as presentations by and discussions with climate researchers and environmental organizations. Both dates are free to attend, though registration is required at elansingclimateaction.art. 

The theme of this year’s festival, the 10th anniversary, is “The Time Is Now.” 

“When we look at the most recent climate goals that have been set internationally, a lot of them are focused on decreasing carbon emissions to set thresholds by 2030. For example, the city of Lansing’s goal for decreasing carbon emissions from 2019 levels, I believe, is to get down 59% by 2030,” Richmond said. “We’re halfway through the decade, so ‘The Time Is Now’ is sort of thinking about 2025 as a moment for activation. We’re also in a really exciting moment in terms of the development of renewable technologies, especially solar technologies. The energy transition is coming, and that’s very clear on an international level. So, it’s also a celebration of that.” 

Some of the local organizations that will be represented at the festival include the Michigan Environmental Council, Capital Area Friends of the Environment, the MSU Water Alliance, the Mid-Michigan Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Michigan Nature Association, the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy and Woldumar Nature Center. Richmond said the list is constantly growing.  

“Every time I talk to someone about this project, they want to be involved. That’s been an exciting part of it,” she said. 

She hopes the festival will serve as a call to action for audience members. 

“What’s really interesting about creating public art around the climate crisis is that two-thirds of Americans are climate concerned. But two-thirds of Americans also say that they don’t talk about the climate crisis with friends and family on a regular basis,” she said. “So, the majority of the population is basically feeling alone in their fear. What I hope happens at the festival is it’s a chance for people to share their feelings in public, in a safe space, and to sort of move from a space of ‘I don’t know what to do, I just know I’m worried’ to ‘I’m with a group of people who also care, and together, we have some tangible steps that we can take to move forward.’”