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Senior tackles global warming through theatre

April 1, 2008

Sara Bookin-Weiner '08 looks on as the cast of her Weiss Prize winning play, Out of Order: The Eco-Theatre Project, rehearses with the dance studio's mirror.

Sara Bookin-Weiner '08 was awarded the Emil R. and Tamar Weiss Prize in the Creative Arts to create an experimental theatre piece titled Out of Order: The Eco-Theatre Project. The play will explore the complexities of global warming.

"When we hear the statistics about global warming, it doesn't have an emotional impact," says Bookin-Weiner. "I'm hoping that the play will have an effect and change attitudes about global warming. Changed attitudes will hopefully lead to changed behaviors."

To create that impact, the theatre major and English minor developed a site-specific installation and experimental-theatre experience. Audience members will follow the story of two families living in a future where global warming has dramatically changed the way people live.

A family of "have-nots" works for a family of "haves" who can afford necessary green technologies. The have-nots eventually are taken to court for living outside of the government's environmental guidelines. The audience decides the case's outcome.

"The issue a lot of people have with global warming is that they see changing their habits as an infringement on their privacy and entitlement," Bookin-Weiner says. "This play deals with that idea."

Her inspiration for the piece stems from directing The World After, a play about AIDS, during her sophomore year, and from seeing an installation-theatre piece in which the audience participated during her studies abroad at Goldsmiths in London.

Based on these experiences, Bookin-Weiner researched global warming and developed ways to address the conflicts within the global-warming problem.

Cast members conducted their own research on the topic and helped create the play's improvisational script.

"I really like improvisational work and wanted that kind of collaboration to create an atmosphere about how global warming will affect peoples' lives," says Bookin-Weiner. The script is not focused on memorizing lines, but rather on certain actions that move the plot along.

The play's evolution has forced Bookin-Weiner to reexamine her own life.

"It made me think critically about how I live my life and made me realize how difficult it is to break habits," she says. "This kind of theatre is an experience—not just entertainment—and a form of being engaged."

To continue that engagement, the set will be made of recycled and reused material. Petitions related to global warming will be available after the show, and the cast hopes to give out goodie bags that will inspire audience members to live more sustainably.

"Theatre in this form is immediate art," she says. "It's a great way to make something personal and it has the power to lead you to question things and wonder about your life."

Out of Order: The Eco-Theater Project will take place Friday, April 11, and Saturday, April 12, at 8 p.m. in the Cubiculo (44 W. High Street). Due to limited space, those wishing to see the piece are highly encouraged to reserve seats through the Montgomery House (717-245-1239).

The Emil R. and Tamar Weiss Prize in the Creative Arts is given annually by the English, Art & Art History, Music and Theatre & Dance departments for one senior's artistic project. The project must be presented on campus during the recipient's senior year.