At the heart of most performance practice is storytelling. How can the arts impact the climate narrative? What can individuals and institutions do to make a difference when it comes to climate change? We’ll speak with a variety of artists, activists and experts about their work in shaping the story on climate and then close out with our featured artist, Nefertiti Abdulmalik, also known as SolAR Lightbeam. Be sure to visit our website pivotarts.org and click on "Get Updates" to stay  informed about Pivot Arts or follow us @PivotArts.

EPISODE 1: RESHAPING THE CLIMATE NARRATIVE GUESTS:

Annalisa Dias (she/her) is a Goan-American transdisciplinary artist, community organizer, and award-winning theatre maker working at the intersection of racial justice and care for the earth. She is Director of Artistic Partnerships & Innovation at Baltimore Center Stage and a Co-Founder of Groundwater Arts. Prior to joining BCS, Annalisa was a Producing Playwright and Acting Creative Producer with The Welders, a DC playwright’s collective; and a Co-Founder of the DC Coalition for Theatre & Social Justice. For more information on the Green New Theatre Initiative visit: groundwaterarts.com/green-new-theatre

Hans Detweiler (he/him) Senior Director, Development at Jupiter Power LLC, has a demonstrated history in renewable energy project development. As vice president of development at Clean Line Energy, he directed development of long-distance overhead transmission line projects for wind power. He also oversaw development of a 1,000-MW wind farm in New Mexico, served as director of state policy for the American Wind Energy Association and was deputy director for energy and recycling at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Kristin Idaszak (she/they) is a two-time Playwrights’ Center Jerome Fellow and the former Shank Playwriting Fellow at the Goodman Theatre. Idaszak has received commissions from the Goodman, EST/the Sloan Foundation, Cleveland Play House, St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, and TimeLine Theatre. Her play SECOND SKIN received the Kennedy Center’s Paula Vogel Playwriting Award and the Jean Kennedy Smith Playwriting Award, and her play ANOTHER JUNGLE was a Relentless Award Honorable Mention. She was the Kennedy Center Fellow at the Sundance Theatre Lab. She is a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists and adjunct faculty at The Theatre School at DePaul University and Northwestern University. 

SolAR*, Nefertiti Abdulmalik (she/her) raised on Chicago’s Northside, recently presented her video animation work Portal to New Earth as part of the 2021 Pivot Arts Festival. She has always been drawn towards the arts and nature. Her current focus is to create works that illustrate nature and how it is interconnected. Nefertiti holds a BFA in Animation from DePaul University and is now beginning her career as a performing artist, combining her love for music, dance, animation and storytelling. By blending together animated visuals, music and story, she shares messages of human empowerment, imagination and nature connection.

Episode 1 was produced and edited by Julieanne Ehre with original music by Andrew Hansen and sound engineering by Hannah Foerschler.

The Pivot Arts Podcast is made possible by FLATS, a Chicago based apartment community.

Mentions in Episode Include:

"All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis"  Edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson

"Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds" by Adrienne Maree Brown

Groundwater Arts

Illinois' Stretch Code

Heat Pump Technology