Festival of New Climate Action Plays
The theater’s home in Gloucester has more than 62 miles of shorelines, with the building itself located in FEMA’s high-risk flood zone. What makes this location a beautiful destination contains an equally foreboding future as we see sea levels rise year after year. By pairing art with advocacy, we can deepen our connection to our earth’s future.
Three new play finalists have been selected from over 200 submissions in 2024. Each play will be presented once during the weekend festival; A Few Fun Facts About Greenland by Maximilian Gill on Friday April 26th, Cincinnati by the Sea by Hannah Vaughn on Saturday April 27th, and If nobody does remarkable things by Emma Gibson on Sunday April 28th. All performances are at 7:00pm and $20 to attend. Festival passes are available for $50 and save 28% to attend each play over the weekend.
In addition to the staged readings, each play will be followed by a talkback session featuring climate experts. These experts will address the themes of the theatrical piece, highlight organizations taking action, and discuss the impact of climate change on Gloucester and the global landscape.
Made Possible in Part by:
Peter Van Demark in Honor of Dr. Kathleen Van Demark
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FRIDAY April 26 @ 7:00 pm
A Few Fun Facts About Greenland
by Maximillian Gill
About the Play:
In a base on the Greenland ice cap, an astrophysicist leads a team searching for evidence of an extraterrestrial object, but her project is thrown into disarray upon the arrival of a glaciologist researching glacier melt and the tech bro who is financing the work. The scientific method conflicts with the human need to believe in something greater, and everyone has strong opinions on how to save the planet.
Playwright Bio
Maximillian Gill was born in India and received his master’s in creative writing in California. He is currently based in New York. His work has been staged by a number of companies and festivals including the Liverpool Arab Arts Festival in Liverpool, Theatre West in Los Angeles, the New York Fringe Festival, the Abingdon Theatre Company, and the New York City Children’s Theater. A short film based on his monologue recently showed at the Tasveer South Asian Film Festival. He is a member of the New Ambassadors Theatre Company and the American Renaissance Theatre Company in New York City. Much of his work can be read on New Play Exchange.
SATURDAY April 27 @ 7:00 pm
Cincinnati By the Sea
by Hannah Vaughn
About the Play
It’s been a year and a half since the Great Flood and only a month since Freddie’s wife, Cleo, abandoned the family. Freddie’s life is falling apart. She struggles to keep her family together as they face the daily challenges of life in this altered world. Her relationship with her son, Noah, reaches a breaking point and he runs away leaving her one last chance to find him and save her family.
Playwright Bio
Hannah Vaughn (she/her) is a playwright based in Virginia. Her full-length plays include Away From, The Unfathomable Blue, Cincinnati by the Sea, and Look Up or Why We Don’t Go Camping Anymore. Away From was workshopped at Dixon Place and with Live Source Theatre Group. Look Up, or Why We Don’t Go Camping Anymore was developed at Fresh Ground Pepper’s BRB Artist Retreat and was a finalist for the ScreenCraft Stage Play Competition. The Unfathomable Blue had staged readings with Paper Kraine and during The Navigators’ Dark Matter Reading Series. Her short plays include Officially Unofficial, Alex, M and The Water Man, Violet Clifford’s Senior Prank Extravaganza and Spark F***ing Joy. Her plays have been featured on the Theatre Nerd Podcast, and produced or developed through Tiny Theatre, Midwest Dramatist Conference, The Navigators, Left Coast Theatre Company, Eden Prairie Players, Actors Theatre of Santa Cruz, Paper Kraine, and The Players Theatre. She is the co-creator, co-writer, and co-star of the hit web series, Dates Like This. She is a proud member of The Dramatist’s Guild. For more information, visit hannahvaughn.com
SUNDAY April 28 @ 7:00 pm
If Nobody Does Remarkable Things
by Emma Gibson
About the Play:
This afternoon, in the middle of a category 6 dust storm, a cargo ship took refuge in the local harbor. Joel is on board and he needs somewhere to stay. Paul thinks they should rescue him but Anna’s not so sure. Not after what Joel did 14 years ago. A new play about climate change and forgiveness that explores what happens when we reach the point of no return.
Playwright Bio
Emma Gibson is a British theatre-maker, now living in Philadelphia. She was the founding artistic director of Tiny Dynamite for whom she produced over 20 productions. Emma also works as a playwright, director, actor and educator. Her plays have been produced around the world and received recognition at several national and international conferences including finalist for the O’Neill, Seven Devils, Princess Grace, and Blue Ink Playwriting Award. Recently, she was a runner up for the Ambassador Theatre Group prize with Platform Presents, and a finalist for The Women’s Prize for Playwriting. She was also the winner of The Pittsburgh Public Theater’s new play competition. More at www.britishemma.com
We develop plays at Gloucester Stage how boats have been historically built in Gloucester – to weather the wide ocean of theatre destinations and sail forward to critical success.
This festival has been made possible in part by a generous donation from Peter Van Demark in honor of Dr. Kathleen Van Demark, who passionately cared for both performing arts and natural resources like the Great Marsh.
Gloucester Stage was built on lifting up new plays through first productions and staged readings. Since our founding, we have had an accessible play submission process for playwrights and have produced 39 world, 7 national, and 35 New England premieres with critical success.
New Work Development Communities in which Gloucester Stage participates:
