by Laura Pasetti, Music by Rolando Macrini
THE STORY OF THE PLAY
Once upon a time in the present, a group of individuals are in bed at home, they are unable to sleep. Each of them feels lonely, lost, disconnected. They all deeply sense that something is wrong in their lives but they don’t know what to do. They are woken up on a theatre stage by the voice of Mother Earth. She is offering them a chance. They need to find a way to reconnect with the planet, or humanity will disappear. And they don’t have a lot of time left… They should do what humans are good at: telling a story, and through the story remember what is their purpose on Earth. Easy to be said…but will they succeed?
DIRECTOR’S NOTES:
I had the idea of the tree almost a year ago; during my training in Nature Based Practice at Ecodharma in Catalunya, I heard a Native American elder explaining that it was the trees that sang humanity into existence. I immediately felt that this was a very good beginning of a new story. I didn’t know the outcome of the story until we were half way into the acting process. I soon realised that the task was ambitious, perhaps too ambitious…and that among the group there were different ideas regarding Climate Crisis and human responsibilities; some ideas were almost opposite. I had to trust the process and allow the truth of the group to emerge and be embraced. Nothing can be transformed if it is not embraced first. I have been scared several times during the process. The Questers were very courageous and gave me amazing opportunities to dig deeper. What we present tonight is the result of our digging into the human heart. It is only one story. There are many stories that can be told. I hope that this one can inspire other stories. Ultimately, anything that can expand our consciousness and help us to re-member is a good story.
