We Are the Volcano (staged reading) at McDonald Theatre, Gearan Center for the Performing Arts

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2. We Are the Volcano (staged reading)

The climate is changing. Will we? Playwright Chris Woodworth grapples with that question in We Are the Volcano. We Are the Volcano will be performed as a script-in-hand staged reading on Saturday August 24, at 7:00 p.m. in McDonald Theatre in the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts on the Hobart and William Smith Colleges campus. Admission is free.

We Are the Volcano explores possible futures in the wake of climate change through a series of short, interconnected, magical realist plays. By turns stark and humorous, the allegorical theatre piece navigates the perils of a warming planet.  In “Packing Light,” Despair and Hope argue over what to pack as they hurry to leave. NeedsToSell entices WantsToBuy to purchase a home in an unusual spot in “Location, Location, Location.” Rain and Ember vie for the same role as they wait for their callbacks in “The Naturals.” In “Weather Away,” Cold and Hot hit a crossroads in their relationship as the weather rapidly cycles around them. And Then and Now dance together in preparation for their wedding but their timing is out of sync in “Melting Ice Caps are Changing the Speed of the Earth’s Rotation and Time Will Never Be the Same Again.” “Just Desserts” finds Glut and Lack clashing over the true cost of a priceless menu item. Someone No One thwarts The Last Bee’s plans at the end of the world in “The Last Bee.” We Are the Volcano concludes with “Migratory Mo(u)rning Song” as Robin and Mockingbird wrestle over the same perch.

The staged reading of We Are the Volcano is directed by August Deimel. Deimel most recently directed for Finger Lakes Photo/Plays at the Smith Opera House. He has also performed in several HWS Theatre productions. The cast is comprised of actors from Geneva and Rochester, including Anthony S. Bray III, AnneMarie Giannandrea, David Kendrick, Erika L.C. King, Rachel Kodweis, Kiyomi Oliver, Kiefer Schenk, and Lara Schmidtgall. Brooklyn-based actor Grace Phelan also joins the cast as a guest artist.

Chris Woodworth is Professor of Theatre at Hobart and William Colleges, where she currently chairs the Theatre Department. Her plays Fossenvue, Medea Kills Her Children, and Petrichor have previously received staged readings in the region. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild and Honor Roll. More information about her plays and other theatre work can be found at www.thisworldofyes.com. 

The staged reading will last approximately 75 minutes. Admission is free, first-come, first-serve. Doors will open at 6:45. This project is made possible with funds from the Auburn Public Theater Regrants program, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by Auburn Public Theater.  For more information, visit https://www.thisworldofyes.com/volcano or contact Chris Woodworth (cwoodworth@hws.edu).