What are Eco-Theater Labs? Come find out...
THE ECO-THEATER LAB is a creative workshop for artists and environmental experts to confront pressing questions about humanity's relationship to our planet through the lens of theater. Produced by Siren Arts and facilitated by Jeremy Pickard of Superhero Clubhouse (NYC), the laboratories will take place in partnership with Florida International University’s (FIU) Eco-Humanities project at the Department of History and the Green School of International and Public Affairs, and in co-production with Climakaze Miami and FUNDarte, Inc. These labs offer participants a creative way to grapple with real and hypothetical climate challenges in generative atmosphere that engages the hopeful imagination. Artists are welcome, but you don't have to be an artist to participate!
How do I sign up? RSVP HERE.
How long does the lab last? 6 hours (we will have refreshments and hearty snack available!)
What should I wear? Come in comfortable clothes that you can move in. We will work barefoot, or in socks.
Do I have to be an artist or a professional scientist to participate? No, just come with curiosity, imagination and willingness to participate.
PURPOSE of the Lab
-to practice meaningful science-art collaboration
-to develop outreach and communication
-to create new work in a new way
-to better understand the value of cross-disciplinary approaches to confronting great environmental challenges in a fictional setting in order to offer this model to communities in the real world
STRUCTURE of the Lab
1. An informal "chalk talk" by an environmental scientist, including questions/conversation.
2. Creative exercises responding to the science and introduction of theatrical tools.
3. Groups work independently for 90 minutes, creating short performances.
4. Groups perform what they've made.
5. Response, evaluation and celebration.
DON'T WORRY...YOU'RE IN SAFE HANDS: Superhero Clubhouse is a New York-based collective of artists and scientists working at the intersection of environmentalism and theater. They create fictional performances rooted in complex environmental questions, practice ecological production, and collaborate across disciplines and communities to enact a thriving society. They believe theater is an essential tool for evolving our consciousness in the face of global environmental crises. Superhero Clubhouse will adapt their Lab model http://www.superheroclubhouse.org/lab/, which offers participants an interactive way to confront pressing questions about humanity's relationship to our planet through the lens of theater.
Labs are offered free of charge. Capacity is limited. Please select link below to sign up for one of two Eco-Theater Labs:
Register for the May 6th Laboratory – Lab features science talk by Dr. Cara Rockwell of Florida International University (FIU) (bio below).
Register for the May 7th Laboratory – Lab features science talk by Dr. Phillip Stoddard, Mayor of South Miami and FIU Faculty (bio below).
The Eco-Theater Labs will take place the historic Miami Hispanic Cultural Arts Center at 111 SW 5th Ave, Miami, FL 33130. Directions here.
Siren Arts' production of Eco-Theater Labs is supported by the Miami Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs' Community Grants program. Other support comes from Fragile Habitat/Ecohumanities for Cities in Crisis: A Public Event Series Bringing Miami Together to Discuss Our Future, organized by the Department of History of the Green School of International and Public Affairs, Florida International University, funded through the Humanities in the Public Square Initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Bios of guest Eco-Theater Labs' guest Scientists:
Cara Rockwell is a specialist in Tropical Forestry and Forest Resources and Conservation, and is on faculty at the Earth and Environment Department of Florida International University. Her research integrates the disciplines of tropical ecology, agroforestry, and sustainable forest management within the context of neotropical smallholder and community-based systems. Her belief is that a cohesive approach to natural resource management research will have a positive impact on livelihood development as well as biodiversity conservation and environmental services. To-date, most of her research has been conducted in Southwestern Amazonia, principally in the Brazilian state of Acre and the Peruvian department of Madre de Dios. Drawing from her international field experiences, including Peace Corps experience in Paraguay, she is interested in mentoring students and allowing them to explore research opportunities in the field, both in South Florida and Latin America.
Mayor Phillip Stoddard was first elected to office in 2010 and is currently serving his fourth term as Mayor of South Miami. In 2015, he was appointed by the White House to the Governance Coordinating Committee of the National Ocean Council where has developed national policy for sea level rise. In 2016, he was named by Politico Magazine to the Politico-50 for his blunt explanations of the economic consequences sea level rise, and was named the Green Municipal Official for 2016 by the Florida Green Building Coalition. Dr. Philip K. Stoddard has been a professor of biology at Florida International University since 1992. A big proponent of renewable energy, his house and car are powered by the sun. Mayor Stoddard has been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Time, National Geographic, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Stern, The Bond Buyer, NPR, PRI, BBC, MSNBC, and numerous documentaries, most recently National Geographic’s "Years of Living Dangerously".
