Playwriting

As the Globe Warms

[iframe http://player.vimeo.com/video/27305326?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0 500 280]

Globe Short EP31:IntheGardenofClimate Reality from Heather Woodbury on Vimeo.

As the Globe Warms is a new genus of an ancient species – an episodic story told by a single person for a live audience and for online subscribers as well. Its bare bones production puts forward an ethics of sustainability: a minimalist aesthetic yoked to a maximal engagement of imagination. As the human effect on the environment increasingly enters our personal narratives via altered weather patterns and vanishing eco-systems Globe weaves a story of ordinary people living through the extraordinary headlines of our times. It limns the themes of climate change – our relation to God, nature, survival and extinction – and explores the fateful intertwining of religion and politics in America.

The story:

Handsome herpetologist Reed Ferris arrives in the small town of Vane Springs, Nevada, determined to try to save a unique species of frog from extinction. He meets Lorelei Ray, the home-schooled daughter of a Pentecostal pastor, who has lately found herself mysteriously “speaking in the tongues” of endangered animals and sharing these possessions online with a growing following of Evangelical youth. The unlikely friendship that forms between them has unexpected and far-reaching consequences. In the mix are Tea Party zealots, closeted gay evangelicals, a working class family itself on the brink of extinction and eyewitness reports from whales, polar bears, bees, bats and frogs.

Heather Woodbury is a recipient of the C.O.L.A. (City of Los Angeles) fellowship in performance, the Spalding Gray Award for Writing and Performance, and Kennedy and National Endowment for the Arts Awards for Playwriting.

More info

www.heatherwoodbury.com

http://vimeo.com/channels/205232

 

YORK UNIVERSITY seeks faculty for ECOLOGICAL DESIGN FOR PERFORMANCE

Applications are invited for a full-time tenure-track position in Ecological Design for Performance, at the rank of Assistant Professor, with graduate and undergraduate teaching responsibilities, effective July 1, 2012. In addition to teaching and research responsibilities, and service at the departmental, Faculty and University levels, the appointment will be key in the direction and development of the new Theatre MFA in Design for Performance.

York’s Department of Theatre has an undergraduate program with over 400 majors pursuing BFA or BA degrees in performance, devised theatre, theatre studies, playwriting, production and design. There is also a Graduate Program with a PhD and MA in Theatre Studies and an MFA in Acting, Directing, and Design. The Department has the only MFA in Acting in Canada and is at the forefront of developing sustainability in design for performance at the graduate level.

The Faculty of Fine Arts, and especially the Department of Theatre, have been developing an active interest in ecological sustainability and, in doing so, have embraced the mandate of York University’s Sustainability Policy: “York will strive to be at the forefront of sustainability research and education, and will use its capacity and expertise to promote sustainability within and beyond the University, with its alumni, governments and the surrounding communities.” The position in Ecological Design for Performance will support the continued exploration and development of sustainability in design, primarily at the MFA level, and potentially in conjunction with Film, Dance, Visual Arts, Architecture, Environmental Studies, and Engineering.

Applicants must be mid-career designers for performance who have demonstrated a commitment to sustainability in their work. Strong consideration will be given to applicants whose work challenges the borders of art within the construct of sustainability; this may include the research and exploration of technological innovation. Good interpersonal communication and ability to work closely with students, colleagues and other departments are required, as is demonstrated excellence or promise of excellence in scholarly and creative research and teaching. Preferred candidates will have a terminal degree in an appropriate discipline, demonstrated professional recognition, teaching experience at the post-secondary level, and strong connections with the theatre and industrial communities.

Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. The successful candidate should be suitable for prompt appointment to the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

A letter of application with an up-to-date curriculum vitae, a statement of research, professional and teaching interests and experience, a DVD or online examples of creative work, and the names and contact information of three referees should be sent to: Search Committee, c/o Mary Pecchia, Room 320 Department of Theatre, Centre for Film and Theatre, York University, 4700 Keele St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M3J 1P3; Tel: 416-736-2100 ext 66266;  Fax 416-736-5785.  Email: mpecchia@yorku.ca

York University is an Affirmative Action Employer. The Affirmative Action Program can be found on York’s website at www.yorku.ca/acadjobs or a copy can be obtained by calling the affirmative action office at 416.736.5713. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority.

Deadline for applications: Friday, December 2nd, 2011