In a period where the consequences of climate and environmental change are increasingly evident, raising ecological awareness is an issue that is becoming more and more important. Community groups and local authorities use different channels in order to promote environmental awareness of the general population such as social media campaigns, education programs, advertisements, documentaries, local events etc. Culture, and especially theatre, has not played a major role in this process of raising environmental awareness until now. Research has shown that ecological knowledge can drive environmental behavior only if it arouses environmental emotions. Culture, and especially theatre, has the ability to raise emotions and allow for a more in-depth and lasting transformation of attitudes and perspectives. 

Indeed! Where are the books? The plays? The performances? Where are the artists?

If we wanted to move forward and effect meaningful change, we needed to engage the other side of our brains. We needed to approach the problem with our imagination. And the people best suited to help us do that, he believed, were the artists.

The potential of theatre to change the audience’s behavior and attitudes is much more critical for the groups of people that have not been sensitized yet in issues such as climate change. Not any kind of theatre can reach these people. A theatre that aims to raise environmental awareness for groups of people not sensitized yet needs to be able to organize outdoor performances in public spaces, free of charge, to reach a wider audience as possible and needs to include the intended audience and passers-by.

Based on the experience of DAH theatre (the coordinator) in this kind of performance, the project aims to further develop and transfer at the European level a method of raising environmental awareness through theatre. 

As climate changes are more and more perceivable and more publicly spoken about it, we witness a rise in climate anxiety among citizens, especially young ones. So like with any other stress, it is essential to give a space for citizens/community to express their concerns, fears, and emotions concerning climate change threats. The Project can play a critical role in providing the community a constructive and creative voice so that it can be transformed into action