Climate Action and Environmental Justice: A TCG Fieldwide Summit
April 22, 2021

We’ve all heard about the interconnected crises of our time: systemic racism and the pervasiveness of white supremacy, economic recovery in the face of an ongoing pandemic, and the existential emergency of climate change. The new U.S. administration is boldly addressing this perfect storm, but how is our field confronting it – not as separate, parallel phenomena, but as branches of the same, ancient tree? While we are beginning to address the first two branches with a necessary urgency, the third – climate change – remains elusive and overwhelming to many. Though the climate crisis falls hardest on underrepresented communities across the country, though we’ve already begun to see many theatres sustain debilitating damage from environmental disasters, and though there’s been a mighty force for climate justice growing within our field – responsive actions from theatres remain disconnected and disparate. On Earth Day this year, April 22, 2021, TCG will host an inaugural Summit on Climate Action and Environmental Justice in partnership with Groundwater Arts and Broadway Green Alliance as a step toward bringing conversations on climate into theatre’s mainstream. In this moment of reimagining, we have the opportunity to holistically consider our habits and practices of putting art into the world, and to collaboratively develop new, regenerative ones that can benefit both the field and the planet. At this Summit of arts industry leaders and practitioners, we’ll examine the roots of that tree our converging crises are springing from, center the wisdom and experience of BIPOC leaders in this work, and transform ourselves in taking action on behalf of life.