DIGGING FOR NEW ROOTS
“THIS IS ALL WRONG. I SHOULDN’T BE UP HERE. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean…How dare you!” said Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg to a roomful of world leaders in dark suits at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York City last September.
In a theatre venue, Thunberg’s performance would have been worthy of a standing ovation. Her speech, a superbly crafted monologue aiming to shame politicians for their inaction on climate change, made beautiful use of the refrain “how dare you,” lest we forget that the climate crisis cannot be left for the next generation to solve. And stakes? Forget your regular, run-of-the-mill life-and-death stakes. On previous pages: Thunberg was talking about nothing less than the death of our entire species. She went on to point out that the science is unequivocal, and concluded, “The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say: We will never forgive you… scene from Phantom Limb Company’s The world is waking up. And change 2018 production of is coming, whether you like it or not.” Falling Out. Below Among other things, it was a brilliant right: Superhero piece of theatre. Clubhouse’s
Across the ocean in Cologne, Germany, three students from the Academy of Design staged another brilliant performance as part of a class project this past July. In a busy plaza surrounded by retail stores, including an Apple Store, they stood under gallows with nooses around their necks,
