NOW
By Wren Brian
"I’m not a particularly optimistic person, I try to be a realist, but more often than not dip into pessimism (and sometimes even have a good long swim in it). The truth is it takes more energy, imagination, and strength to imagine better, but we need to. As hard as it is, we need to dare to dream"(Brian).
This paragraph preludes Now, by Wren Brian. Now is about having the courage and the strength to choose positivity and hope in the face of the climate crisis, rather than taking the easy route of hopelessness.
WHY THIS PLAY NOW?
It is so easy to fall into the black hole of negativity when it comes to the climate crisis. With all the harm that has already been caused, and all of the harm that is rumored to come, it makes sense that the default response would be fear or hopelessness. However, some recent literature suggests taking the positive, though more difficult, path.
A book titled, The Future We Choose, by Tom Rivett-Carnac and Christiana Figueres, discusses two possible futures. One, where we continue on the path we are currently on, ultimately succumbing to the pitfalls of the climate crisis. The other paints a prettier picture, one that requires hope and collective action in order for it to come to fruition (Rivett).
We cannot, and will not, be able to mitigate the harm already caused by human driven climate change, or move forwards with our goal to lower the overall global temperature, without embracing hope for that second future.
Now is such an important story to tell right now because it really emphasize this point. Now encourages its audience through meditative language to allow themselves to hope, and to dream, about their future. This positive, almost playful, outlook on climate change is what will let us start to build the future we choose. After all, all good things must begin.
DONATIONS
Along with focusing on hope, dreams, and keeping a positive outlook on the future, we suggest you consider donating to the National Forest Foundation. For every dollar you donate, the foundation will plant a tree!
One individuals average carbon footprint over the course of a year is 20 metric tons of co2, which can be entirely offset by planting 40 trees a year (Planting).
Each tree the National Forest Foundation (NFF) plants removes over one metric ton of CO2 from the atmosphere over its life. Trees can store CO2 in their trunks, roots, leaves, branches, and even in the soil, and the NFF works hard to consult with forestry experts in order to plant the right trees for specific areas, and to ensure diversity in tree distribution.
Accordig to the NFF's website, “National Forests make up about one-fifth (19%) of the total U.S. forestland and contain approximately one-fourth (26%) of the total carbon stored in U.S. forest ecosystems”(Planting).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Now’s author, Wren Brian, graduated from University of Winnipeg’s Theatre & Film Honours Program, and is a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada, Scottish Society of Playwrights, the Manitoba Association of Playwrights, and the Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre. According to her website, “She is dedicated to creating characters that can be played by actors of any gender, ancestry, ability, and/or age. By writing characters like this she hopes to contribute to equity in the industry while exploring themes and questions important to a wide range of humanity.” This is her second play that has been published with CCTA; She was involved in CCTA 2021 and wrote a peice called “When” for 2+ voices, which was presented around 19 times in 6 different countries: Austria, Canada, Italy, Serbia, the United Kingdon, and 6 of the United states (Wren).
DESIGN
For the design of this piece we wanted to use cool colors like blues and purples to emphasize the meditative, calming, nature of the piece. Additionally, we wanted to use changes in the intensity of the lighting to emphasize the deep breaths written into the text, to create the effect that the space is taking the deep breath with us.
While we were excited for the lighting of the piece, we also want to lean into a simpler design, so that we don’t draw attention from the text, which is the most important element of the play.
Ultimately the goal is to create a soft, hopeful, atmosphere that surrounds the performers and creates a meditative feel.
ACTION:
SUPERHERO CLUBHOUSE AND TANGIBLE HOPE
Superhero Clubhouse is an organization founded by Jem Pickard and Lanxing Fu, surrounding the concept of Eco Theater. In their “Eco Theater Manifesto” Pickard and Fu say that Eco Theater is holistic, as diverse as a thriving ecosystem, holds complexity, and most importantly, is hopeful.
According to their website, Superhero Clubhouse, “creates theater to enact climate and environmental justice, cultivate hope, and inspire a thriving future,” through performances, workshops, fellowships, and their Big Green Theater program.
Superhero Clubhouse uses a concept they’ve coined, called, “Tangible Hope”. This concept is a way of looking at the future of our climate with optimism rather than focusing on an apocalyptic narrative. This is the action we have chose to attach to "Now", and it also ties into this year’s CCTA Conference Theme, “All Good Things Must Begin.” By taking the “dreaming” approach, as Brian’s Now suggests, we can view climate change intervention as a good thing that we must make a conscious choice to begin. Superhero Clubhouse says this on identifying Tangible hope, “You'll know it when you see it or hear about it. Ask yourself: Is it tangible (as opposed to elusive)? Does it make you feel hopeful about climate or environmental justice? Then it's probably Tangible Hope!”
TANGIBLE HOPE
What is your tangible hope? How are you choosing to hope and dream and view your future?