The Arctic Cycle to Present DISPATCH TO THE FUTURE: A THEATRICAL JOURNEY THROUGH CENTRAL PARK

On September 19, 2021, The Arctic Cycle will present Dispatch to the Future, an interactive, family-friendly theatrical journey through the northwest corner of New York City's Central Park. This event kicks off Climate Change Theatre Action 2021, a three-month festival of participatory theatre and action around climate taking place in more than 30 countries around the world.

Featuring original short plays by Angella Emurwon (Uganda), Jessica Huang (US), Aleya Kassam (Kenya), and Marcus Youssef with Seth Klein (Canada), with additional text by Chantal Bilodeau, Dispatch to the Future takes audiences on a guided walk through a series of live performances that interrogate our relationship and responsibility to the Earth. In turn poetic, political, and whimsical, this event aims to be a joyful experience for all New Yorkers. Audiences will also participate in the Climate Ribbon arts ritual, launched at the Climate March in NYC in 2014.

Playwright Marcus Youssef says of the initiative: "This project has compelled me to use the tools I have to engage creatively with the most urgent challenge facing all life on this planet. On its own, this changes very little. But it is changing me."

The walk and the plays are directed by Lanxing Fu, Megan Paradis Hanley, Rad Pereira, and Jeremy Pickard. Produced by Sami Pyne.

Dispatch to the Future takes place on Sunday, September 19, 2021, rain or shine. Groups depart from West 103rd Street & Central Park West every half hour between 12:00-4:00 pm. The walk lasts 75 minutes. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at https://www.thearcticcycle.org/dispatch-to-the-future.

The Arctic Cycle uses storytelling and live performance to foster dialogue about our global climate crisis, create an empowering vision of the future, and inspire people to take action. Operating on the principle that complex problems must be addressed through collaborative efforts, we work with artists across disciplines and geographic borders, solicit input from researchers in the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences, and actively seek community and educational partners. www.thearcticcycle.org

An initiative of The Arctic Cycle, Climate Change Theatre Action 2021 is a worldwide series of 200+ presentations of short plays about the climate crisis written under the theme "Envisioning a Global Green New Deal." The festival runs September 19-December 18, 2021 to coincide with the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow. For more information: www.climatechangetheatreaction.com