The Future Is Hyper-Local – Vicki Stroich and Ric Knowles discuss Ottawa 2044 | English Theatre

Climate Dramaturg Vicki Stroich and Dramaturg Ric Knowles share their experiences working with the Ottawa 2044 playwrights, inviting podcast listeners into the imagined futures of these neighbourhoods.

Irresistible Neighbourhoods is a multi-year radio play development project centered on themes of climate and sustainability, which nurtures both emerging and established playwrights to imagine alternative visions for the neighbourhoods they call home.

Seeking to contrast the predominance of dystopian climate narratives, which ring alarm bells about the state of our planet but often leave audiences paralyzed with despair, Irresistible Neighbourhoods encourages commissioned artists to ask ‘what if?’ instead. Guided by bespoke dramaturgical teams addressing different aspects of the work, the artists are asked to bring the full scope of their imaginations to the task, offering audiences more hopeful visions of what our lives might be like as we move closer to the ecological transition. This project reconsiders the role of the artist in the climate crisis, not as a communicator of climate imperatives, but rather as an agent of imagination, gently cultivating a shift in the fundamental values underpinning our relationship with the natural world.

Listen to the Radio Plays:

About Irresistible Neighbourhoods

Learn about the Climate Art Research Study