Debating Extinction takes us to the isolated existence of a mother and daughter in the not-too-distant future when the planet is devastated by human-generated climate change.
The mother Miranda (Kristen Hoffman) is angry about what people have done to the earth. Instead, she wants nothing to do with them, concentrating instead on nurturing the plant life that still survives.
This leaves her daughter Susan (Penelope Deen) feeling lonely and frustrated. She wants the company of others, particularly since she is secretly pregnant.
The differences between them come to a head when Susan’s boyfriend Teddy (Tibor Lazar) returns after three months convinced there is a potentially better life for them elsewhere saying, “who would have thought that Pennsylvania is the Promised Land?”
However, Miranda believes that any surviving human enclaves will cause further species extinction and she is determined not to contribute to such communities.
Contemporary environmental groups are very aware of what can feel like the unstoppable ecocide of the planet. Industrialisation, deforestation and climate change have driven hundreds of species out of existence. There are already activists who campaign on the side of the remaining animals and plants.
The writer of this play and its audience will side with Susan and Teddy. The character of Miranda is very unsympathetic but, as in any fable, she embodies a warning to the complacent majority of dangers to come.
The Climate Fables: Debating Extinction is a companion piece to The Climate Fables: The Trash Garden taking place on alternate days in the same venue.