A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction

A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction offers an evening of sharing that focuses on us, the living. American author Miranda Rose Hall tells the story of the emergence of life on Earth, the sixth mass extinction currently underway, and our urgent desire for a future. Three years ago, Katie Mitchell created this monologue at the Théâtre de Vidy-Lausanne. To stage it, she set out very specific requirements: the show she created would not travel. But it could be performed anywhere in the world. The show would have to be performed without being connected to the electricity grid. But it would have to be visible. The show would have to be performed by a woman. But a woman who was not from the visible majority in her country. The show would have to emit as little carbon as possible. The show would have to be sober.

Above all, it must be able to be recreated anywhere in the world by artists other than Katie Mitchell. In France, the MC93 invited David Geselson to create his own version of the project, inspired by these specifications. While it seems possible to create a show about the disaster, doing so without contributing to it oneself is a complex – and exciting – challenge.

Will gathering in a theatre to talk about the living be enough to dream of a desirable future?

Produced by
MC93 – Maison de la Culture de Seine-Saint-Denis, Compagnie Lieux-Dits

Coproduced by
Creative Europe dans le cadre du projet STAGES – Sustainable Theatre Alliance for a Green Environmental Shift.

The writing of the text for this performance is part of the creation process of Sustainable Theatre, by Katie Mitchell and Jérôme Bel, conceived at Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne.

Compagnie Lieux-Dits is accredited by the ministère de la Culture – DRAC Île-de-France and the Val-de-Marne department as part of its development aid.