To say you must have been living under a rock to be unaware of Climate Change is to assume that rock was not dislodged by a landslide, washed away in a flood or used to build a wall to protect your property from rising sea levels.

Theatre of Climate is touring Angie Farrow’s septet of ‘short climate plays’, directed by David O’Donnell, to four suburban community venues. We catch the second performance, upstairs at the Vogelmorn Bowling Club precinct which is buzzing inside and out with community activity.

Has Angie consciously purloined the title of her septet of ‘short climate plays’ from the 1971 Daphne du Maurier story that was adapted as a film in 1973? It’s Wikipedia page says, “Don’t Look Now is an exploration of the psychology of grief and the effect the death of a child can have on a relationship.”

In Farrow’s Don’t Look Now, some characters are being wilfully blind to imminent danger while those who could be described as seeing Climate Change as a serial killer are seeking proof of who or what is responsible, while also seeking global agreement on how to stop it or them. Meanwhile we are grieving for what has been, is being, and will be lost. We could even argue that the five stages of grief – denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance – are psychological factors in the behaviours of Farrow’s characters.

The ‘realities’ of the dramatised scenarios that depict a range of individual and community relationships, are variously objective and subjective. Absurdism blends with allegory and realism as they are played out on various arrangements of wooden boxes, that include a short ladder from which bare tree branches sometimes sprout like antlers. Designed by Lucas Neal, the set is entirely made from recycled materials.

In ‘The Thing’ – which is serialised in three parts at the beginning, middle and end of the 90-minute production – Li (Ralph Johnson) is terrified by the danger looming beyond the window, while Lo (Liz Kirkman) is in denial. Memories of the innocent pleasures they took for granted alleviate the pressure – or is this another form of denial to justify inaction? By part three, Lo is angry that Li didn’t do something about it while he stresses over ways to bargain with The Thing. They end up dancing a slow waltz while expressing regret about the past actions that brought them to this point … What else can they do?

In ‘Saving the World’, Alpha (Craig Geenty) and Beta (Bethany Miller) – are they avatars? – are at least taking action, or trying to, online. Beta’s been watching TED Talks, Apha gets territorial about his techno projects – and when she expresses romantic interest in him, he is unable to compute it. I take it that her ticking biological clock is a microcosm of planet Earth’s looming inability to sustain new life. As for Alpha’s idea of ‘disappearing’ climate deniers … Yes, there are extremists in every camp.

‘Mad Meg’ finds Mairanga White, in the title role, firmly nestled up a 420 year-old tree to thwart the intentions of chainsaw-wielding Jo (Bethany), whose contract to clear the land for a shopping mall have been hard-won. Meg’s vision-cum-visions enrage husband, Victor (Ralph), a carpet retailer who fears for his reputation – especially when Meg’s protest becomes front-page news. When we are encouraged to join the “Mad Meg!” chant, it’s up to each of us to decide whether we’re taunting or supporting her.

An island in the Pacific is the location for ex-war correspondent Gavin (Craig) to verbally record his impressions on his smart phone. Is it for a travel feature or a means of preserving its features before they succumb to sea level rise? The title of this piece, ‘Lucifer’, suggests he’s a fallen angel. Still grieving the loss of his wife a year ago, he has come to the island with his new partner, Irene, to visit her mother. He assumes it’s a short visit but Irene wants him to stay and help them plant new things. Science and Bible Stories are at odds in this predicament.  

Mairanga and Bethany play mother and daughter, Leila and Bo, in ‘Poverty’. They argue over Bo’s compulsion to give her money away to worthy climate causes when Leila had scrimped and scraped to give Bo a good upbringing after her husband took off and changed his name to avoid paying child support. A Greta Thunberg clone, juggling countless invitations to speak at conferences, Bo wants Leila to go to Berlin with her – but is it as her companion or dogsbody assistant?

Liz’s Melanie is a nurse who got caught up in a protest march and is now in prison. In ‘Disobedience’, she tells her story from behind bars, revealing she has been politicised by 93 year-old Maia Henare, a care facility resident who keeps protesting for her mokopuna. Melanie forgot to text her husband before her phone was confiscated – “We only talk about rising interest rates and whose turn it is to clean the toilet” – and he’s furious when she gets home at 6am. Her boss, who saw her on the News, demands an apology. Melanie feels she has Maia to thank for saving her soul.

‘Luna’ is named for the 16-year-old schoolgirl who has gone missing – possibly from the same from a protest march. Her Aunty (Mairanga) has raised her since Luna’s mother ran off years ago, and is desperate given she didn’t come home from school yesterday. Lance (Craig) wants to know why Luna can’t be normal like other kids. Grandad Stan (Ralph), a veteran protester, starts getting paranoid about who has abducted Luna … School friend Olivia (Liz) reveals “Loony Luna” is the playground taunt. When Luna appears, having walked away and on up the coast, upset that she alone can’t save the planet, Stan confesses he too feels helpless sometimes. Having encountered an “old woman” (Maia?), Luna resolves to set up a nationwide Climate Action Group and study Climate Science and Civics. This resolve and purpose will save her life, at least.  

As indicated above, Luna’s commitment to positive action contrasts with Lo and Li’s acceptance of their fate as they waltz towards oblivion – or do they? Li’s sudden urge to leap out the window to confront The Thing, and Lo’s decision to join him, leave us with even more to ponder.

The opportunity, after a short break, to discuss our thoughts and feelings is welcomed by many. Aside from the many accolades to the team for their creative excellence, discussion inevitably turns to how we can constructively contribute to a better outcome than we might expect from ‘The Thing’. We learn that a Forum Theatre session at Wellington College, following a performance there, produced some interesting names for it, including Propaganda, Fashion and AI.   

Personally, I feel a major turn-around can only occur if we convince governments to replace their fixation on growth-based neoliberal economics with The Sustainable Economy. And many businesses are realising that is where the future lies. But it’s the rise of the right that is the biggest impediment …

Do we resign ourselves to the last stages of grief, get depressed then accept there’s no hope for planet Earth’s capacity to sustain human life in the long term, and dance our last waltz? Or do we do a Luna and commit to positive actions that will at least help us feel we have agency?

At the very least, Don’t Look Now allows everyone to feel heard, regardless of where they stand or sit on the Climate Change issues, and may even move some of us on from stuck positions. Each of us has a choice.

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