CATR WORKING GROUP CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS
Environmental Stewardship in Theatre and Performance Education
The urgency of the climate crisis requires theatre and performance practitioners, researchers and educators to develop and refine practices of environmental stewardship in all aspects of their work. The theatre industry is increasingly using metrics of sustainability to measure the potential social value of an event against its environmental impact. Funders are now requiring information on how each arts project and production company is addressing their carbon footprint. Students need to be prepared to enter a field that is shifting to a model of environmental stewardship and that responds to the unfolding climate crisis. This shift is linked inextricably to a movement towards decolonial approaches to theatre and performance-making. Developing good and sustainable relationships to land is vital work for artists and cultural producers, as we move to a holistic view of the role of the arts in community. As educators, scholars and practitioners we should be at the table alongside PACT, ADC, SCALE, and international movements towards positive change.
The primary goal of this group is to discuss how we teach, document and prepare students for sustainable practices in theatre and performance. We are seeking colleagues who are building principles of sustainability and climate action into their teaching and/or departmental curricula, undertaking research in areas of environmental stewardship in theatre and performance, and are passionate about exploring their role as educators, theatre artists and researchers in climate action. This working group is also open to artists and scholars who are just at the beginning of their thinking and engagement with ecological and climate issues as they connect to theatre and performance.
Please send 250 words to Hope McIntyre outlining your interest and the theoretical, ethical, and practical concerns that you feel most urgent for us to discuss.
Co-Leaders’ Contact Information:
University of Winnipeg
University of British Columbia