What would you think of if you had to imagine your neighbourhood 20 years into the future? For the National Arts Centre’s (NAC) English Theatre program Irresistible Neighbourhoods: Ottawa 2044, the intersection between art and environment are realized in a series of interesting radio plays.
After seeking an opportunity to get acquainted with her new surroundings, Artistic Director of NAC English Theatre Nina Lee Aquino wanted to develop a program that focused on neighbourhoods in Ottawa. Alongside Judi Pearl, the Associate Producer of Artistic Programming and Environmental Projects, these radio plays were born, putting an environmental lens on the representation of the local community.
Sanita Fejzic, Kel MacDonald, Vicki Stroich, Seth Thomson,Lily Polowin, Ric Knowles. Photo provided.
“I’ve been working on this framework of how artists can come into creating work around climate and environmental themes,” says Pearl. “I proposed to Nina [Lee Aquino] that we take what she wanted to do with new play development and radio plays and Ottawa neighbourhoods, and put a climate and environmental lens onto that work.”
This framework is a response to the question of what kind of role artists play in the climate crisis.
“What we’re really noticing is that there’s a lot of artists who want to make a contribution to this crisis, to this challenge around the climate crisis,” she says. “How can we encourage artists who want to engage with this theme into a space that’s more imaginative and that might help audiences actually want to move forward into the future rather than feeling paralyzed with despair?”
Selected playwrights were each tasked with imagining an Ottawa neighbourhood two decades into the future as a way to develop their narratives to more creative visions of climate justice.
Director Emily Pearlman with Dramaturg Ric Knowles. Photo provided.
Playwright Sanita Fejzić imagines a new future for Vanier in Machines and Moss, playwright Lily Polowin imagines a future for Val-Tétreau in Gatineau in Aquatic Lessons and playwrights Seth Thomson and Kel MacDonald imagines a future for Centretown in The Cartographers.
Pearl says that focusing on the hyperlocal level to address global issues is integral to climate adaptation and resilience, as well as mitigation.
“Focusing the work at the neighbourhoods level made a ton of sense,” says Pearl. “The hyperlocal is so critical to the climate movement and climate action, and we need to be fostering connection and community close to home.”
Kel MacDonald and Seth Thomson. Photo provided.
She also says that another feature of identifying the hyperlocal outside of climate action is also about asking people what they believe makes their neighbourhoods irresistible.
“What would make your neighbourhood irresistible? What does that mean for you? What we ultimately want to do with this program is cultivate a sense of belonging in audiences for worlds we are yet to inhabit,” says Pearl. “It’s really about expanding your imagination and giving a sense of hope for the future.”
The three radio plays were recorded at the NAC’s Hexagon Studio, so everything was recorded in house with the help of sound designer Nick Di Gaetano as well as Dramaturg Ric Knowles and Climate Dramaturg Vicki Stroich.
Sound Designer Nick Di Gaetano, Director Kristina Watt, Technician Patrick Fournier. Photo provided.
Stroich was the first person in Canada to have the word ‘environmental’ in her job title, working at an arts organization, Pearl being the second.
Each playwright participated in a climate orientation led by Stroich where they were introduced to the framework Pearl had worked on, and were encouraged to be agents of imagination rather than of information.
Pearl says it was about “introducing them [the playwrights] to a different way to think about their role as creators in the climate crisis and what they could bring to the project.”
Katherine Brett, Manon St-Jules from Aquatic Lessons. Photo provided.
Although the path forward to climate action in the arts community is relatively new, Pearl is hopeful about taking these next steps and creating new projects to serve this gap in the arts community.
“Irresistible Neighbourhoods is a proposal around thinking very deeply and critically about the role of artists and creators in the climate challenge.”
You can listen to volume one of Irresistible Neighbourhoods now on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Overcast or through the NAC’s website. For more information on the NAC’s English Theatre program, check out the NAC’s website.
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