This book is a brief history of the end of the world as seen through the eyes of theatre. Since its inception, theatre has staged the fall of empires, floods, doomsdays, shipwrecks, earthquakes, plagues, environmental degradations, warfare, nuclear annihilation, and the catastrophic effects of climate change. Using a wide range of plays alongside contemporary thinkers, this study helps guide and galvanize the reader in grappling with the climate crisis. It reminds us that theatre, through its communal nature, remains one of the best forms at our disposal for helping to effect collective change and, in this case, aid in the saving of our planet.Kulick divides this litany of theatrical cataclysms into four distinct historical phases: the Ancients, including Euripides and Bhasa, the legendary Sanskrit dramatist; the Age of Belief, with the anonymous authors of the medieval mystery cycles, Shakespeare, and Pushkin; The Moderns, with Ibsen, Chekhov, Brecht, and Beckett; and, finally, the way the world might end now, encompassing Edward Bond, Caryl Churchill, Tony Kushner, and Anne Washburn's Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play. Each of these ages and their respective authors have something essential to say, not only about humanity's potential end, but, more importantly, the possibility for our collective continuance. In tandem with the insights gleaned from these playwrights, the book draws upon the work of contemporary scientists, ecologists, and ethicists to further tease out the philosophical implications of such plays and their relevance to our own troubled times.

Staging the End of the World: Theatre in a Time of Climate Crisis PDF

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