Climate crisis explored in eight short plays as Downstage turns 20
Calgary independent theatre company Downstage is celebrating its 20th birthday with All Good Things Must Begin, an evening of 8 short plays by international playwrights that explore the climate crisis. (Photo courtesy Downstage)
Downstage, one of Calgary's independent theatre companies, is turning 20.
To celebrate, the company is collaborating with the Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation and Climate Change Theatre Action to present All Good Things Must Begin this weekend at Motel in Arts Commons.
Climate Change Theatre Action is an initiative that launched in 2015 as a festival of short plays that focus on the climate crisis.
This year's selection of eight short plays pay tribute to the themes of American science fiction writer Octavia Butler, who coined the phrase "all good things must begin."
Butler was an award-winning science fiction author who wrote about extremism, racial justice and climate change in the early 1990s.
The plays in All Good Things Must Begin are a selection of eight chosen from international artists that are co-directed by Saeid Asgarian and Downstage artistic director Clare Preuss.
“It is a joy to collaborate with the Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation and Climate Change Theatre Action on such a playfully poignant production. The curation team has chosen eight new short plays from international artists that bring a wide range of perspectives to the incredibly important topic of climate change and how we move forward as members of a global society,” said Preuss, in a media release.
“The plays are very different in style and will provide an exuberant evening of thought-provoking entertainment. After the show, audiences will be invited to join us for a long-table discussion about the plays and the topics that they stir up. We’re excited to gather in community for an evening of visionary theatre and stimulating conversation," added Preuss.
The plays include works by Annie Furman, Emma Gibson, Aleya Kassam, Ethan King, Tira Palmquist, Nicole Pschetz, Charly Evon Simpson and Kirby Vicente.
They will be performed by a quartet of Calgary actors, including Tara Beagan, FIlsan Dualeh, Ishani Hemant, and Petra Schovankova.
There are performances Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
For tickets, go here.
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