Many children come across the magic of theater at a young age whether it be through a school play or the local community theater. I got involved with theater in the third grade and have continued into college as I pursue my degree in Drama. I continue to love theater because it is a space to learn and explore issues that are meaningful to me like climate change. In fact, there’s a word for this intersection of theater and climate change called eco-theater. Eco-theater allows us to use theater to teach audiences about environmental issues and can also be extended to working on shows that use recycled materials for costumes, props, and the set.

Children’s theater is a great space to put eco-theater to use. Children’s theater can teach many different lessons from making good choices to learning about climate change. Across ages, the theater is a space for cultivating empathy and provoking the audience to think. While climate change can be overwhelming for anyone to deal with, let alone kids, it is essential we educate the younger generations as they will be the most impacted. The theater is a great space to talk about climate change and environmental injustices because it relies on creativity and collaboration which is how we will move forward to fight climate change.

Faith Embler,

San Juan Island.