Who are these characters?

We made a deliberate choice in Anthropocene to move away from dialgoue-based realism that centers around psychologically-based characters. Such an individualistic approach, which emphasizes humans above all other species and centers the climate crisis as primarily a problem that people experience, is at odds with our eco-dramaturgical approach. We want to acknowledge that climate change impacts every species on Earth. 

We have instead chosen to present flashes of figures who emerge at different historical moments as a piece of our non-linear storytelling. Some of these figures - such as the various mothers who appear, and the water seekers who ground the production - return and reverberate, while others only exist for a brief moment. Yet however brief their appearance, the actors have crafted full biographies and backstories for each of the many characters they play. That is why they each feel real, even if we only spend a few minutes with them.

These are some of the characters who a part of the world of Anthropocene.

Character Descriptions       

WATER SEEKER 1, 2, 3, and 4 (movement-based/dance)

The Water Seekers are inspired by Butoh dance–they have been wandering the earth for a thousand years in search of water. They live off the detritus of the Anthropocene—the plastics, the empty bottles, the trash of others. They have twigs in their hair and their skin is cracked dry with white clay.

RECEPTIONIST (speaking role/movement-based)

Seasoned receptionist who is sharp, fast-paced, and efficient, if not a little robotic.

MEXICAN FOREIGN OFFICE REPRESENTATIVE (speaking role/movement-based)

Speaking fluently in Spanish. Working a job they hate so that they can send money home to their spouse and child. Compromising morals for the “American Dream.”

ACCOUNTANT  (speaking role/movement-based)

Always crunching numbers, keeps to themself. 

CEO  (speaking role/movement-based)

Part of the 1%, exploiting the environment for shareholders and profit. Cut-throat, ruthless, and arrogant.

ASSISTANT (speaking role/movement-based)

CEO’s assistant. Low-level paid job on his first day of work. Trying to please the boss at all costs and failing. Nervous energy. Trying desperately to find a new job.

EXECUTIVE  (speaking role/movement-based)

Mid-level executive who is trying to get ahead and will crush anyone on their way to success. Works 24/7 without rest. Recycles to feel good about himself.

COMMUNICATIONS REP  (speaking role/movement-based)

Toxic positivity—spinning the company image to promote the company as “green energy” to hide the actual truth. Attempting “self care” at home to separate work life and personal life. Always orders take-out and drinks Dasani water out of plastic bottles. 

MOTHER (movement-based/singing role)

Appears in various time periods. In the Industrial Revolution she is living in tenement housing, in the 1950s she plants a garden and is part of “I Put a Spell on You Dance,” and in the Chernobyl evacuation scene. She sings at various moments throughout the show. 

DAUGHTER (movement-based)

Appears in various time periods. In the Industrial Revolution she is living in tenement housing, in the 1950s Part of “I Put a Spell on You Dance,” and in the Chernobyl evacuation scene.

1950s FATHER (movement-based)

Suburban bread-winner father who comes home from work, tired, beaten down from working for the system to have dinner with his family. Part of “I Put a Spell on You Dance”

1950s SON (movement-based)

Teenager who is transfixed by TV and who ignores their parents while eating dinner. Part of “I Put a Spell on You Dance”

SEED SCIENTIST (movement-based)

Seed Scientist in the global seed vault who is cataloging all the seeds of the world in preparation for an extinction event. They are serious and methodological.

CITY SWEEPER (movement-based)

A city maintenance worker who continually comes through to clear the stage of debris. By the end of the performance, there will be too much trash for the sweeper to clear. 

LADY/LOLLIPOP (movement-based/dance)

A lady across time who consistently reaps the rewards of trade, extraction, and labor. In the Silk Road she experiences wonders from afar. In Victorian England, she and her gentleman grow rich on the backs of the working class, though even she cannot escape the smog that chokes the landscape. During the 1950s, she becomes “Lollipop,” a sickeningly sweet caricature of the retro age of consumption and plastic. 

MODEL 1 (movement-based/dance)

High fashion runway model gets dressed by stitchers and fast fashion assistants, walks the runway showcasing high fashion.

MODEL 2 (movement-based/dance)

High fashion runway model gets dressed by stitchers and fast fashion assistants, walks the runway showcasing high fashion.

FASHION ASSISTANT (movement-based/dance)

They are frantic and overwhelmed. They dress the models.

FLIGHT ATTENDANT 1 (movement-based/dance)

1950s flight attendant who tries to remain calm even as the plane goes down. 

FLIGHT ATTENDANT 2 (movement-based/dance)

1950s flight attendant who tries to remain calm even as the plane goes down. 

FLIGHT ATTENDANT 3 (movement-based/dance)

1950s flight attendant who tries to remain calm even as the plane goes down. 

FLIGHT ATTENDANT 4 (movement-based/dance)

1950s flight attendant who tries to remain calm even as the plane goes down. 

1950S TRAVELERS (movement-based)

Travelers at the airport in various states of excitement, nervousness, calm, hurriedness, etc. 

ATOMIC TOURISTS (movement-based)

Based on Las Vegas’s tourism push in the 1950s, people were encouraged to travel to Vegas to watch atomic bomb detonations, traveling to the desert to view up close or just watching after all-night parties from the casinos. These people wear sunglasses (but no other protection) and are in awe of the bomb.

PHOTOGRAPHER (movement-based)

The photographer uses new technology to capture images from the Industrial Revolution. 

SEWING FACTORY WORKER 1 (movement-based)

The stitcher sews clothing during the fast fashion and industrial revolution scenes.

SEWING FACTORY WORKER 2 (movement-based)

The stitcher sews clothing during the fast fashion and industrial revolution scenes.

SEWING FACTORY WORKER 3 (movement-based)

The stitcher sews clothing during the fast fashion and industrial revolution scenes.

1950s COMMERCIAL MODELS/SUBURBAN HOUSEWIVES (movement-based/dance)

The commercial model advertises the post-war American Dream in suburbia - ample space, a hassle-free existence, add-water-and-stir meals, and increased consumption, while the suburban housewife is content to clean and cook to support her family. 

INDUSTRIAL LABORERS (movement-based/dance)

The laborers appear burdened and fatigued. They work long hours and reside in the crowded tenements of the cities. They move slowly and carry no joy - they have resigned themselves to a life of endless dirty and miserable work, all while the rich dance because of them.

DELIVERY DRIVER (movement-based)

Fast-moving on a tight schedule - afraid to not complete the schedule. No time to engage, just drop and run.

SELFIE RAVERS  (movement-based/dance)

Selfie-ravers who are self-obsessed taking selfies of themselves while at a rave. 

ONLINE SHOPPER (movement-based/dance)

Someone who is obsessed with ordering the latest fast fashions on Amazon and Shein and throws items away as soon as the next trend emerges.