Overview

Climate Theatre examines how distressed environments are portrayed through theatrical and performance arts. Despite variations in form and location, the volume unites diverse geographical settings through their shared concern with the effects of rising temperatures on land, sea, sky, and beyond. Throughout history, theatre and performance have mirrored society's most pressing moral, ethical, and sociopolitical challenges. Today, various performance traditions—from ritual practices to cultural activism and historical reenactments—are being reassessed for their environmental resilience and ecological consciousness. The collection also showcases innovative contemporary works that position climate as a dynamic and meaningful presence within drama, performance, activism, and art. These contributions reflect the global nature of climate challenges while carefully articulating the nuanced perspectives emerging from different geographical contexts. This volume will particularly appeal to performance scholars, environmental humanities researchers, climate activists, theatre practitioners, and students seeking to understand the intersection of artistic expression and ecological crisis in our rapidly changing world.

Full Product Details

Author:   Denise Varney ,  Peter Eckersall ,  Jen Parker-Starbuck
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
ISBN:  

9781032953472

ISBN 10:   1032953470
Pages:   272
Publication Date:   23 December 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements List of Figures List of Contributors Introduction Chapter 1. Climate Theatre: Ecology and Performance in a Climate Emergency by Denise Varney, Peter Eckersall and Jen Parker-Starbuck Thinking about climate and performance Chapter 2. AnthropoScenes on Campus: Ecospheric Knowledge Production, by Una Chaudhuri Chapter 3. Theatre and Climate Change: Constellating a New Lexicon by Minty Donald and Carl Lavery Chapter 4. Hope and Trust in the Future: Human to Nonhuman in Australian Drama by Peta Tait Provocations in the Anthropocene: More-than-human Chapter 5. The Sea is on Fire: Machinic Crustaceans and Ecological Promises by Jen Parker-Starbuck Chapter 6. Being Prey at the End of the World: Kris Verdonck in Conversation with Lara Stevens about his latest work, PREY (2023) by Kris Verdonck and Lara Steven Chapter 7. Ecospheric Affect in Solo Pour Octopus by Sarah Lucie Chapter 8. Performing lunar climates by Felipe Cervera Chapter 9. Re-staging Cabinets of Curiosities in the Age of Anthropocene by Cen Liu Environmental violence and inequity Chapter 10. Slow Violence in Cherríe Moraga’s Heroes and Saints by Elin Diamond Chapter 11. Urban Ecologies in Performance: from Colonialism to Community in Peter Morin’s Cultural Graffiti and Fast Familiar’s The Strategy Room by Lisa Woynarski Chapter 12. Mutating Performance: On Monira Al Qadiri’s Speculative Petroaesthetics by Katia Arfara Climate risk, activism & eco-performance Chapter 13. Performing Fading: Postvisual Dramaturgy in Durational Catastrophes by Kyoko Iwaki Chapter 14. Performing Across Time: Jill Orr in Conversation with Peta Tait by Jill Orr and Peta Tait Chapter 15. Dramaturgy for Community Renewal and Environmental Care by Linda Hassall Chapter 16. Performing climate activism by Deborah Hart Chapter 17. Wilderness Acts: Dorothy Molter and Performing the Boundary Waters by Eero Laine Culture, community & survival Chapter 18. Hyphenated Thinking in Performance-Pedagogical Prototypes: Maria Lucia Correia’s Common Dreams Flotation School and Natural Contract Lab by Christel Stalpaer Chapter 19. Burning Man’s Climate: Eco-utopic Confluences and Contradictions by Sarah Ann Standing Chapter 20. Tacuabé’s Bow: Surviving through Absence by Maria Litvan The recalcitrant politics of climate change Chapter 21. Climate Control: Gender, Nature, and Stories of the Snow Queen by Clara Wilch Chapter 22. It doesn’t work. Of course it doesn’t work. But it doesn’t matter that it doesn’t work’: David Finnigan’s Dramaturgy of Errors by Milo Harries Chapter 23. Just and sustainable futures: How will we do it? by Anitra Nelson Index

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Author Information

Denise Varney is Professor of Theatre Studies at the University of Melbourne Peter Eckersall is the Sidney E. Cohn Professor in Theatre at the Graduate Center, CUNY, NY Jen Parker-Starbuck is Professor of Theatre and Performance at Royal Holloway, University of London

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