Documentation Scientific Theatre

The 2012 Freiburg Forum on Environmental Governance was centered around a scientific theatre, developed and performed by a part of the student organizers of the event. Follow these links to see our scientific theatre:

 Prologue: Look at this Earth

 A combination of poetry and physical theatre which traces human development from pre-industrial times to the present day and provides a critique of modern society's obsession with unlimited growth.

 Act 1

Scene 1

An examination of the growing distance between consumers and agricultural producers, and the strain this places on the agricultural system.  Set against the backdrop of traditional tomato farming practices in Almeria, Spain.

Scene 2 

A cautionary tale about the perils of the use of industrial pesticides and GMO crops, and the powerful influences of multinational agricultural/food corporations in this regard.  Set against the backdrop of rice farming in Andhra Pradesh, India.

Scene 3                                                       

A fictional auction of the world's natural wonders (eg. the Himalayas and the Amazon), which highlights the power and control that multinational corporations have over the globe's natural resources, and how this contributes to their unsustainable exploitation.

  Act 2

Scene 1

This piece traces a fictional failure of the free market economy, revolution and the rise of an eco-dictator, whose draconian environmental protection rules and regulations trample the spirit and individuality of her subjects.  The scene aims to highlight the dangers of blind action in the face of adversity, and the problems that arise when individuals fail to take responsibility to create and participate in consultative and democratic processes.

 Scene 2

A critique of the hyper-individuality which characterises the lives of so many people within modern society, and paradoxically results in communities of blandly uniform individuals with no real connection to one another. 

Scene 3

A tongue-in-cheek re-imagining of Homer's Odyssey (told with a lot of poetic licence).  Ulysses (now teamed with the eco-dictator from Scene 1 and a boat load of companions) sets sail on a quest to discover social change. Along the way, he does battle with the sirenic forces of the modern consumer society, whilst his shipmates fall prey to their seductive powers.  With his dream of social change fast becoming a nightmare in the face of the unyielding inequities of the legal/economic system, Ulysses realises that the only chance he has to succeed is through collective action.  He reunites with his fallen shipmates, breaks the spell of consumption which has held them prisoner, and together they unite to tackle the Cyclops of conservatism.  However, will this be enough? The scene finishes with the audience being asked to consider whether social change really is possible. 

Act 3

Scene 1

A comedic but critical reflection on the discourse surrounding proposals to rely solely on techno-fixes to solve consumption problems. The piece stresses the importance of individual responsibility.

Scene 2

The Road Not Taken.  A combination of Robert Frost's famous poem and physical movement, this piece asks the audience to consider which path they will take, and what choices they will make, regarding their own consumption patterns.

Scene 3 

The finale of the Scientific Theatre aims to inspire hope for change in the audience through the use of music and interpretative physical theatre.