Last night, I had the pleasure of seeing The Movement Theatre Company, which includes several of my fellow NYU alums, present an eco-friendly performance in a great space on the Lower East Side. GO GREEN was a one-night wonder of 10 plays, each 10-minutes long, which all centered on the environment in some way and examined the numerous literal and metaphorical interpretations of “going green.”

From the moment I walked into the theatre, I knew I was in very creative hands. Rather than a paper stub ticket, I was given a magnet from a reservoir preservation company. The pre-show announcement was made by “Mother Earth”, a friendly and sassy woman who proclaimed she was watching us.  She informed us that, during the rehearsal process, no paper was used, only computers, and since there was little time to prepare, a projection screen with the actors’ lines on it was hung behind the audience.

One of my favorite pieces was “SOS”, in which “Mother Earth” meets and creates an open, raw, and wild “Man”, only to have him hurt her with all his technological fascinations. It essentially depicted the slow demise of a relationship where a man starts to mistrust and develop armor.

“I used to worship you but then I realized I wasn’t powerless,” he confessed.

Every time Man got more absorbed in his technology, Mother got hurt. The piece was rather poetic and incorporated movement. In one beautiful moment when the two first met, Man, in awe of Mother’s beauty, chased her around like a little boy in love, making rooster sounds and finally catching her. But soon, Man discovered technological gadgets which began to absorb him and make him feel like he had something over Mother.

“You’re hurting me!” Mother would cry. “You’re technology is all over the place.”

I suddenly thought of every newly constructed building taking over the little greenery in Manhattan.

“I am a man!” he answered.

“Stop ignoring me!”

The two even got into a physical struggle where Man almost hit mother. But in a moment of comic relief, at the end, the characters broke and made a Public Service Announcement. “Would you hit your mother?”

Almost every piece had humor in it. In “Black Girl’s Guide to Going Green”, a depressed woman drinks on her stoop only to be visited by another Earth Mother who takes her on a journey to her homeland and shows her she can find her green in her thoughts and her heart. A green life begins inside.

“You never know what can manifest in your body. You are what you believe yourself to be,” she said. I loved the African drums and movement in this piece.

These two were just my favorites, but the show had eight other pieces such as, “Environmental Bailout Plan” which depicted a couple arguing over the woman’s spending and leaving lights on in the house when she was not home. Their argument was realistic and showed us that while we should strive to be green all the time, we should forgive ourselves if we are not perfect.

My former roommate, of Bags for the People, even attended, giving eco-friendly bags to the performers as a gift. Recently, I started bringing my own canvas shopping bags to the markets, and I can tell you, I feel like I save a lot of paper and plastic that way!

Overall, it was a very interesting theme out of which to make a show. Kudos to these artists, directors, and playwrights who have worked hard to create a wonderful venue in which to showcase their work. The Movement is a company dedicated to fostering the work of emerging artists of color. I can only hope that their cause continues to spread and incorporate all of us emerging artists coming together!