Press Contact: Natalie Thomas
natalie.thomas@theatreroyal.com
31 October 2023
Theatre Royal Plymouth (TRP) will be hosting a series of events to mark COP28 as part of its work to highlight the climate crisis including its very first open mic night, a collective café and a community poetry and photography exhibition.
The environmental awareness line-up kicks off with a call-out for artists to perform at its inaugural open mic night event which focusses on themes of diversity, inclusion and the climate emergency. Entitled ‘How to Survive’, performers will have the chance to express themselves through monologues, song or poetry in a welcoming environment in TRP’s gallery open space. The event will take place on 15 – 16 February 2024 with TRP’s Artist for Change Bee Jarvis acting as compère and TRP Associate Director, Malaika Kegode performing as a featured artist.
On 30 November, TRP will unite with hundreds of outlets around the globe forming climate cafés to mark COP28 Global Activation Day. The Force of Nature climate café concept, supported by the Climate Psychology Alliance, originated in 2019 and provides a safe collaborative space for young people to talk about the climate emergency and channel environmental anxiety. TRP is the only venue in the South West offering the provision and will open its café doors to the public on Thursday 30 November from 6:30pm – 8:30pm.
TRP will also be showcasing ‘The Mindful Activist’ Exhibition in its gallery space for a week from 9 December. The exhibition, run by Climate Action Plymouth, is currently open to entries for haiku and photography themed around the current climate and ecological emergency. Winners will be announced on Sunday 10 December and a selection of submissions will feature in the inaugural exhibition.
Natasha Pavey, Theatre Royal Plymouth Artist for Change, is keen to ensure the climate emergency remains a priority within the creative industry. Natasha said: “I’m extremely excited to welcome the local community into the theatre to help continue to put the climate at the forefront of conversations at TRP and to be creatively championing active hope around the climate crisis in the South West.”
Krista Dunkers and Ricky Lowes are Climate Action Plymouth event leaders. They said: “Climate Action Plymouth is very excited to hold this amazing exhibition and is extremely grateful to TRP for hosting us and helping to raise awareness and inspire hope around the climate emergency. We are really impressed with how TRP is supporting Plymouth’s local community.”
TRP’s COP28 events sit alongside other activity happening across the city around COP28 and will follow on from Art and Energy’s ‘Mossy Carpet’ artworks exhibition which takes over the TRP’s gallery throughout November.
The theatre’s first-of-its-kind open mic night will take place in the New Year. Anyone interested in performing can apply via theatreroyal.com when applications open on 30 November as part of the COP28 Global Activation Day.