ACTS OF RESILIENCE is a hybrid conference instigated by Two Planks and a Passion Theatre Company. Bringing together organizations and artists dedicated to outdoor performance, this gathering is dedicated to sharing knowledge and developing new strategies related to the climate crisis.
The conference will include sessions ranging from the practical (how are our conditions of work changing and how must we adapt?) to the high-level (how are our relationships with audiences changing and what are our responsibilities as storytellers in mitigating the crisis?). This three-day gathering will be held at the Ross Creek Centre for the Arts in rural Nova Scotia, and the initial strategies and ideas developed during the conference will be shared widely.
Registration will open shortly and will be pay-what-you-can. Please also note that all zoom sessions will be recorded but that individuals will not be required to have their cameras on.
The challenges the climate crisis presents to our entire society are undeniably huge and present in every community, workspace and home. This gathering of professional performance companies who work outdoors in collaboration with nature is focussed on our specific sector and the challenges we now face, from the practical to the existential. Some of the most important are:
- How are our conditions of work changing? What new guidelines, measurements or strategies need to be put in place in order to protect the health and welfare of theatre/performance workers?
- How do we communicate with the general public about the climate crisis and its impacts? What does that conversation look like?
- How does our public profile change given how closely our work is associated with nature and, by association, an existential crisis? How do we work in that new reality?
- What are our responsibilities as storytellers and community institutions in confronting the crisis?
- Are the changes ahead of us a matter of gradual adaptation, or is this crisis something we can’t simply adapt to?
- Many of our stakeholders create work in geographically remote locations without public transportation. What is the true carbon footprint of our work? How can/should this be measured?
- How will accessibility to our work be adversely impacted by the changing climate?
- What further measures can we take to further green our organizations?
This project is a response to an emergency. We, as artists who create work in partnership with nature, are overwhelmed by both the immediate impact of the climate crisis, and grappling with the longer-term ramifications for our relationships and communities. We must work together to share experiences, develop strategies and ask uncomfortable questions.
(Top image ID: Square graphic. At the top, yellow text on a dark purple background reads ‘ACTS OF RESILIENCE’. Directly below in yellow text on the same purple background reads ‘outdoor performance in the climate crisis. On the bottom is a yellow semi circle resembling a sun with a thin red border. Red text against the yellow sun reads ‘a conference at the ross creek centre for the arts’. Directly below that text in purple font reads ‘NOV 24-26, 2023’.)