Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples
Scenes from the Climate Era
By David Finnigan
Presented by Auckland Theatre Company and Silo Theatre
Rangatira. Q Theatre
Until August 24
Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples
When we first enter Silo Theatre we are handed a little manilla envelope. There is a seed in it. Under our seats we find another little manilla envelope with a seed in it. Of course, this is a seed to plant tomorrow in our gardens to grow a plant which will help combat climate change.
But no. We are told this is not a seed but a lentil. Of course, everyone knows that lentils play a vital role in sustainable agriculture. Adding lentils to crop rotations not only helps in providing more of this important crop, it also improves soil health, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and stores more carbon in the soil than most other plants.
But no. We are told this is part of our becoming agents provocateurs. After the show we are to go out into the city looking for gas-guzzling SUV’s. We are to remove the cap of the tire valve, insert the lentil and put the cap back on. In less than an hour the tire will have deflated. For extra measure we can also key the side panels of the vehicle. Done frequently this activity will result in a drop in SUV ownership, another battle won in the Climate Change Wars.
But that’s about it for radical action in David Finnigan’s “Scenes from the Climate Era”. What follows are several dozen short scenes which explain, examine and dissect various aspects of the Climate Crisis – the political, scientific, social and personal aspects which the world is facing and will continue to face over the next decades.
Finnigan’s play which seems at times to be more lecture or a call to arms not only expounds on the various aspects of the Climate Condition but also reveals the emotional and philosophical responses which make the issues so important and relevant.
The climate crisis has been central to Finnigan’s work with his 2014 play “Kill Climate Deniers” looking at political inaction, Then there was “Your Safe Til 2024”, a work that tried to temper climate despair with hope and his comedy “44 Sex Acts in One Week”, a comic response to the relentless push to towards climate disaster.
Among the various scenes presented in “Scenes from the Climate Era” was a quick history of the COP summits, dealing with the end of species, the issues of climate anxiety, how climate issues should be presented by the media and how to tell when the Climate Era is over.
The final scene of the play, set some time in the future imagines a coastal inundation somewhere in New Zealand and a heat inundation in an Australian city both of which were presented as apocalyptic climactic moments and a time of popular uprising.
One issue which was briefly touched on was the decision to have children but this passed without really addressing the issue of population control – the great elephant in the room of Climate Future.
It’s a powerful work which is relevant for our times, making one realise that governments and their agencies are failing us and we could be losing more of our natural habitat as well as our urban living spaces and possibly the planet.
The five actors who take on multiple roles brought a relentless energy to the work, some more so than others.
Arlo Green gave some standout performances particularly as the over enthusiastic conference leader and his Glaswegian accent was perfect.
Amanda Tito gave sophisticated performances especially as a slinky cat while Sean Dioneda Rivera excelled as a nearly extinct frog and Nī Dekkers-Reihana was effective as a some-time narrator and linkage person.
Dawn Cheong as a would-be TV presenter gave a great display of disbelief and anger in responding to suggestions of media compliance.
Director Jason Te Kare ensured a seamless transition between scenes and the subtle lighting (Jane Hakaraia) and effective soundscape (Leon Radojkovic) contributed to the overall drama of the play.
Unfortunately, it seems they weren’t all that interested in depleting the number of SUV on the road bas they asked for the little manilla envelopes and the lentils back at the end of the performance.
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