Scenes from A Climate Era produced by WAYTCO currently playing at Victoria Hall as a part of Perth Festival is an ensemble production following a series of vignettes cycling through decades of ‘debate’ around the climate crisis.
I could closest compare Scenes from A Climate Era to Caryl Churchill’s Love and Information, the ensemble of 8 jump between mostly disconnected scenes elaborating on different aspects of the understanding of climate science and public reception to it moving from around the 70’s and 80’s to present day and beyond what a climate apocalypse could look like.
The ensemble is delightfully snappy, they move amongst the scenes with a captivating efficiency. The choice of this play by WAYTCo just makes sense, the emphasis on the crisis for young people is just made all the more realer and the cast themselves hammer this home as extremely strong performers jumping between a multitude of roles.
The staging is equally compelling. The minimal set design allows the physicality of the performers to create landscapes: a centuries old creekbed, a casket, or a home on fire. Soft draping fabric hangs from the ceiling using light to intensify the visceral storytelling and performances. The whole show is a sensory delight, almost making the stuffiness and heat of the Victoria Hall feel intentional and immersive, I did truly feel myself in that raging inferno.
Scenes from A Climate Era is a sensory treat looking into the possible bleak future ahead of us, reinforced by a young company of superb actors and expert staging.