About

The Arctic Cycle uses theatre to foster dialogue about our global climate crisis, create an empowering vision of the future, and inspire people to take action. Operating on the principle that complex problems must be addressed through collaborative efforts, we work with artists across disciplines and geographic borders, solicit input from earth and social scientists, and actively seek community and educational partners.

We manifest this mission through four ongoing initiatives:

CLIMATE CHANGE THEATRE ACTION (CCTA)
CCTA is a series of worldwide performances of short climate change plays presented biennially to coincide with the United Nations Conference of the Parties. Fifty professional playwrights from all continents, representing several cultures and Indigenous nations, are commissioned to write five-minute plays about various aspects of climate change. The resulting collection of plays is then made available to international producing collaborators who present events in their community during the project’s time window, using one or several plays from the collection.

ARTISTS & CLIMATE CHANGE (A&CC)
A&CC is an international network and online platform that features essays, interviews, and editorials by artists of all disciplines who engage with climate change. A&CC aims to create community and advocate for the role of artists in shaping our collective future. We publish two to three times a week; our roster of writers includes four regular contributors from three different countries as well as numerous guest contributors.

THE PLAYS
We support the writing, development, and production of a series of eight plays by playwright and artistic director Chantal Bilodeau that look at the social and environmental changes taking place in the eight Arctic states: United States, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Russia. Seeking to highlight the connection between the Arctic and the rest of the world, each play is written after extensive research and visits to the regions, and includes input from researchers and local communities.

WORKSHOPS
Throughout the year, we offer 3- and 5-day intensive workshops for artists, activists, scientists and educators interested in engaging in, or furthering their engagement with, climate change through the arts. Topics explored include: embracing complexity, developing collaborative projects with non-arts partners, and bringing the arts to non-traditional audiences. Participants take part in group discussions and exercises, and interact with accomplished guest speakers from the arts, humanities, and sciences.