York University alumnus Mark Terry, who is a decorated explorer, award-winning filmmaker, and contract faculty member and course director at York University’s Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, has partnered with Whitby’s Beech Street Theatre Company and Earth Day organizers to present Canada’s only virtual theatre performance on Friday, April 23, to mark Earth Week.
The one-act play, The Four Seasons, was written by Terry for Beech Street Theatre as part of the theatre company’s 2021 Earth Week celebration. The play, which will be presented virtually over Zoom, begins at 7:30 pm ET. Beech Street Theatre has designated the admission as a “pay-what-you-can” theatre experience with all proceeds going to Terry’s research project the Youth Climate Report. Donations to the Youth Climate Report can be made through http://youthclimatereport.org/donations.
“Many people have commented on changing weather patterns over the years,” said Terry, “but few have attributed these occurrences to climate change. We have never heard from the seasons themselves either, until now.”
The play will feature all four seasons as characters who share a series of monologues describing how they have changed over the years. The play was written specifically for the Zoom platform with one of the characters being the “Host”, a role that Terry will play himself. This is the first time Beech Street has performed online during the pandemic.
“I’m thrilled to have partnered with Earth Day,” said Beech Street President Michael Khashmanian. “Our commitment to raising awareness about environmental issues like climate change and its impacts gives us an international stage with this partnership.”
The Four Seasons will be performed one night only on Friday, April 23, at 7:30 pm. Those interested in attending this innovative live theatre production of The Four Seasons can join the Zoom at https://yorku.zoom.us/j/98212386679.
More about the Youth Climate Report
The Youth Climate Report showcases more than 525 videos from youth filmmakers geo-located on an interactive map, providing policymakers with a wealth of visible evidence of climate research, impacts and solutions from around the world in one easily accessible digital space.
The groundbreaking film project not only gives young people a voice at United Nations climate summits, but offers the rare opportunity for them to directly contribute to policy creation on the global stage. Through their short documentaries, or “Mini-Docs,” youth bring attention to urgent environmental issues facing their respective communities and ecosystems, share climate research and solutions, and highlight youth-led climate action initiatives. For policymakers, the database provides important visual context that helps them gain a fuller understanding of climate issues during the two-week UN climate summits each year.
Earlier this year, the Youth Climate Report earned an Honourable Mention from the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2020 Action Awards. The project is the only Canadian program to be recognized this year out of a field of more than 1,000 nominated projects.