Arizona State University is part of the action in promoting climate change awareness through the power of storytelling and the demonstration of science. Produced and envisioned by Associate Professor Micha Espinosa, this is the third time ASU has participated in the Climate Change Theatre Action. This year, her co-producer is embedded artist intern and acting concentration student, Ausette Anderies. Actors from the Acting Concentration for Stage and Screen in the School of Film, Dance, and Theatre will offer three staged readings. The play’s themes are then illuminated by the research of graduate scientists/researchers from ASU’s Biodesign Institute.
List of Plays:
Chantal Bilodeau – IT STARTS WITH ME
This play is inspired by Greta Thunberg, Katharine Hayhoe, Wangari Maathai, Alexandria Villaseñor, Naomi Klein, Rebecca Solnit, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Christiana Figueres, and countless more women who are fighting for us all. https://www.wecaninternational.org/why-women
Directed by: Zuriel Lloyd & Micha Espinosa
Featuring: Makayla Higgs, Giselle Torres, Hailey Royster, Lana Antropova, Alaina Lass
Vitor Jatobá – FAILED EXPERIMENT
The inspiration for this play came from the playwright’s feelings about humans’ ability to deceive themselves. We can see but we prefer to ignore. We can act but we prefer not to. We are aliens on our own planet.
Directed by: Michael Scholar
Featuring: Victor Yang & Sadie Schuelfer
Mike van Graan – HASHTAG YOU TOO
The play genuflects to the book, Wild Law: A Manifesto for Earth Justice, written by Cormac Cullinan. The purpose of the play is to catalyze discussion/debate around the rights of the Earth and its constituent parts in modern, contemporary society.
Directed by: Ausette Andries
Featuring: Rashaud Williams and Dolores Mendoza
Under the supervision of Center Director and Professor Rolf Halden, Graduate Researchers:
Nivedita Rengarajan has a background in Environmental Engineering from the (UK) and her masters from ASU in Sustainability. For her PhD in Civil Engineering, her interests lay in applying Circular Economy Principals for sustainable Solid Waste Management (SWM). She speaks fluent English, German and 2 Indian languages. Nivi has worked for the United Nations (UN) Industrial Development Organization in Vienna, for NGOs on slum sanitation in India, and for the Government of Singapore.
Ashley Heida is a graduate student in the Biological Design program at Arizona State University. She grew up in Minnesota and completed her undergraduate degree in physics At the University of North Dakota. She has conducted research in theoretical and experimental solid state physics, radiology physics, and single-cell genomics analysis. Currently, she studies the risk associated with decisions consumers make in their daily lives, such as the temperature that they have their home water heater is set to. By analyzing these risks we can prevent infection, reduce energy costs and live cleaner lives.