Farm Arts Collective to present ‘Conference for Those Still Living’

For a limited two-week run, Farm Arts Collective will present “Conference for Those Still Living,” play #5 of “Dream on the Farm,” a decade-long series of performances about climate change at the new Agri-Cultural Center on Willow Wisp Organic Farm. The show will run Thursday through Sunday, August 8 through 18, starting at 6:30 p.m.; each performance concludes with farm-fresh food.

This year’s immersive and original performance, “Conference for Those Still Living,” is collaboratively created and performed by the Farm Arts Collective ensemble, directed by Artistic Director Tannis Kowalchuk, with music and lyrics composed by Doug Rogers.

The performance ensemble includes company manger Jess Beveridge, and members Pam Arnold, Melissa Bell, Rebekah Creshkoff, Ginny Hack, Annie Hat, Lexee McEntee, John Roth, Yurika Sase, Debra Thomas, and Hudson Williams-Enyon. Technical production and lighting design are by Kai Brothers, with production technician Phoenix Murns; set pieces designed by Kit Sailer and Erin K. Orr; cooking with Alicia Grega and Helen Baldus; and poster design by Karen Hudson.

“Conference for Those Still Living” tells the story of a group of people who are invited to a climate change conference organized by their mutual friend, a world-famous ornithologist named Benjamin Drake. The invited guests include an international mix of artists, scientists, and activists. Each guest has been asked by the ornithologist to prepare a presentation with the prompt: How has climate change affected your life and livelihood?

When the ornithologist does not show up at his own conference, a mystery ensues to his whereabouts. As the presenters carry on with the conference in his mysterious absence, the anxiety and concern for their missing friend is a wrenching parallel for the anxiety they feel about climate change and their own lives. The conference becomes something nobody quite expected.

In this new immersive “Dream on the Farm” experience, the audience will be immersed in the conference as delegates, and the collective’s new Agri-Cultural Center will be transformed into a conference hall. The performance takes place both indoors and out and will feature live music composed by resident composer Doug Rogers and performed by the Farm Arts Collective band.

As part of the play experience, the audience will be invited to walk the farm led by a Willow Wisp Organic Farm farmer, with an interactive a stroll through the “conference exhibit field” where booths will be set up and each actor-presenter will share their research and work with the audience who will be able to stroll and mill about at their leisure for a period of time.

In a statement, the organizers said, “We believe that climate change is the greatest local and global issue of our time. As rural artists, we are compelled to address this issue as it affects everyone, especially the most vulnerable. We have told many stories in the ‘Dream on the Farm’ series. In fact, we are at the mid-point of this decalogue. We have observed that art has a profound way of addressing climate change. No other medium can deliver the same impact as live story, music, and theater. We aim to offer our community an artful message that will hopefully inspire action and ideas for bettering our community.”

The Farm Arts Collective is located at 38 Hickory Lane, Damascus. Tickets are $20 for children 12 and under and $40 for adults, minus fees. Tickets can be purchased at farmartscollective.org. For questions, call 570-798-9530.