The Great Lakes Climate Theatre Initiative

The Great Lakes Climate Theatre Initiative (GLCTI) brings together climate scientists, environmental humanists, and theatre scholars and practitioners to deliver public programs that engage communities, both intellectually and emotionally, on the issues of ecological change and climate preparedness. The GLCTI advances sustainability science communication and green theatre practice in production. 

The GLCTI is lead by Professor Tim Chevral and Assistant Professor Susan Clark from the Department of Environment and Sustainability, Professor Lynne Koscielniak and Associate Professor Eero Laine from the Department of Theatre and Dance, Kacey Stewart, the Program Director for Health, Wellness, and Climate at D’Youville University, and Assistant Professor Bella Poynton at SUNY Oswego.

This article considers the role of the public humanities in fostering conversations about climate science and policy through a transdisciplinary performance at the University at Buffalo in New York. The Great Lakes Climate Theatre Initiative is a new project that brings together sustainability scientists with theater practitioners to create new and mixed methods for climate preparedness that are both inclusive and impactful. Toward a Climate Haven was the first project conducted by the initiative with the goal of exploring how Buffalo might become a safe and equitable destination for climate migrants. This first project resulted in a public event that combined the performance of a newly-commissioned play, a talkback session, readings from a local youth writing workshop, and a presentation from a local county official. In this article, our team reflects on how we brought these various threads together to leverage the public humanities in the effort to prepare for climate change.

Stewart, Kacey, Susan Spierre Clark, Eero Laine, Lynne Koscielniak, and T. L. Thurston. “Climate Futures at Play: Performing Environmental Public Humanities.” Public Humanities 1 (2025): e87.

The College of Arts and Sciences’ first annual Spotlight Symposia Series honored Diana Aga, with the Department of Chemistry, at an event in the Drama Theater in the Center for the Arts in October 2024. The presentation including a performance of "An Unlikely Refuge,” a short play presented by the Department of Theatre and Dance and the Department of Environment and Sustainability, which aimed to engage audiences in climate-centered conversations. The play included performances by local professional actors.

The Series included an Honoree Talk with Diana Ana, PdD, who will discussed “Toward a Climate Haven,” a project blending sustainability science with performance art to address Western New York's role as a potential climate refuge amid its own climate uncertainties. This program is brought to you by the UB Department of Environment and Sustainability and the UB Department of Theatre and Dance.

The research team includes: Tim Chevral, professor; Susan Clark, assistant professor and Kacey Stewart, postdoctoral associate from the Department of Environment and Sustainability and from the Department of Theatre and Dance: Lynne Koscielniak, professor and Eero Laine, associate professor.

Professor Aga is a recognized world leader in environmental analytical chemistry. She has developed innovative methods that identify “emerging contaminants” and analyze and predict their movements through the environment.

• Event Program

• Event Program

Public roundtable and discussion on green theatre practices and climate havens in the Great Lakes Region.