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Has Your Dystopian Play Come in Handy? | Has Your Dystopian Play Come in Handy? |
(3 days later) | |
In many cities, the threat of the novel coronavirus and the efforts to slow its spread have altered daily life dramatically. Ordinary objects (doorknobs, soap) seem transformed, banal activities — biting a nail, buying milk — freighted with danger. New vocabulary has emerged, as have new habits and new ways of navigating a narrowed landscape. | In many cities, the threat of the novel coronavirus and the efforts to slow its spread have altered daily life dramatically. Ordinary objects (doorknobs, soap) seem transformed, banal activities — biting a nail, buying milk — freighted with danger. New vocabulary has emerged, as have new habits and new ways of navigating a narrowed landscape. |
Still, if you see enough theater and you have, like me, a fascination with onstage dystopias, certain elements may feel familiar — restrictions on movement and behavior, distrust of the environment and each other. “King Lear” and “Endgame,” “Far Away” and “Blasted” are classics of the genre. But you could fill a shelf with plays of the past several decades that have dreamed bleak outcomes for humanity. And then, in a pinch, you could burn that shelf and those plays for warmth. | Still, if you see enough theater and you have, like me, a fascination with onstage dystopias, certain elements may feel familiar — restrictions on movement and behavior, distrust of the environment and each other. “King Lear” and “Endgame,” “Far Away” and “Blasted” are classics of the genre. But you could fill a shelf with plays of the past several decades that have dreamed bleak outcomes for humanity. And then, in a pinch, you could burn that shelf and those plays for warmth. |
Recently, I spoke with several playwrights — via telephone and email — about what it is like to first imagine a cataclysm and then live through one. Because playwriting is a solitary art, many of the men and women described routines that felt both somewhat typical and wholly changed. “Friends have suggested that I must be coming up with so many stories during this time,” Robert O’Hara said. “I’m simply hoping we all make it through this alive.” These are excerpts from the conversations. | Recently, I spoke with several playwrights — via telephone and email — about what it is like to first imagine a cataclysm and then live through one. Because playwriting is a solitary art, many of the men and women described routines that felt both somewhat typical and wholly changed. “Friends have suggested that I must be coming up with so many stories during this time,” Robert O’Hara said. “I’m simply hoping we all make it through this alive.” These are excerpts from the conversations. |
The Public Theater, 1993 | The Public Theater, 1993 |
Apocalyptic event A young copy editor navigates a despoiled New York City. The moon has disappeared, and food has turned to salt. | Apocalyptic event A young copy editor navigates a despoiled New York City. The moon has disappeared, and food has turned to salt. |
Your circumstances “I live alone, on the Upper West Side. My routine hasn’t changed very much. I get up every morning, and I write for four to six hours a day. Generally, I’m as isolated as I always was.” | Your circumstances “I live alone, on the Upper West Side. My routine hasn’t changed very much. I get up every morning, and I write for four to six hours a day. Generally, I’m as isolated as I always was.” |
Your play “I lived a lot of those experiences. I was burnt out of my Bronx apartment. I was attacked by a guy with a golf club on the subway. Crack was beginning to explode, as well as AIDS. I didn’t set out to write a piece of prophecy. I was responding to my daily existence.” | Your play “I lived a lot of those experiences. I was burnt out of my Bronx apartment. I was attacked by a guy with a golf club on the subway. Crack was beginning to explode, as well as AIDS. I didn’t set out to write a piece of prophecy. I was responding to my daily existence.” |
How to live now “I resist writing about a crisis when I’m in the middle of the crisis, because I can’t see clearly.” | How to live now “I resist writing about a crisis when I’m in the middle of the crisis, because I can’t see clearly.” |
Playwrights Horizons, 2013 | Playwrights Horizons, 2013 |
Apocalyptic event Following a pandemic and technological destruction, surviving humans shelter together, exchanging remembered song, stories and episodes of “The Simpsons.” | Apocalyptic event Following a pandemic and technological destruction, surviving humans shelter together, exchanging remembered song, stories and episodes of “The Simpsons.” |
Your environment “I speak to you from our bedroom in Brooklyn. I’m with my husband, Gordon. The apartment is a sty. So that’s very occupying. My goal is usually to spend all my time at home, but since I never get to realize that goal, it’s hard to say what this will be like.” | Your environment “I speak to you from our bedroom in Brooklyn. I’m with my husband, Gordon. The apartment is a sty. So that’s very occupying. My goal is usually to spend all my time at home, but since I never get to realize that goal, it’s hard to say what this will be like.” |
Your play “I was thinking about a pandemic, a fantastically quick-moving, incredibly mortal, sweeping humanity off the face of the earth pandemic. This is not that." | Your play “I was thinking about a pandemic, a fantastically quick-moving, incredibly mortal, sweeping humanity off the face of the earth pandemic. This is not that." |
How to live now “Dystopias are soothing because the worst has already happened. What’s awful about right now is that we’re before whatever is next. We can’t start to cope because we’re all still being slung around by the future. Either this is the worst time, or it’s the easiest time and it gets much worse.” | How to live now “Dystopias are soothing because the worst has already happened. What’s awful about right now is that we’re before whatever is next. We can’t start to cope because we’re all still being slung around by the future. Either this is the worst time, or it’s the easiest time and it gets much worse.” |
MCC, 2015 | MCC, 2015 |
Apocalyptic event In the wake of an ecological collapse, humans spend most of their waking hours in elaborate online worlds. A detective investigates a potentially dangerous site. | Apocalyptic event In the wake of an ecological collapse, humans spend most of their waking hours in elaborate online worlds. A detective investigates a potentially dangerous site. |
Your environment “I’m in Los Angeles, sheltering in my cottage. I’m pretty used to it. I’m naturally a hermit and I have a cat — there’s actually a whole community of cats around here. I’ve been talking more regularly to close family and friends.” | Your environment “I’m in Los Angeles, sheltering in my cottage. I’m pretty used to it. I’m naturally a hermit and I have a cat — there’s actually a whole community of cats around here. I’ve been talking more regularly to close family and friends.” |
Your play “I was thinking about climate change, working with the idea that nature had become so compromised, it was actually far more pleasant to spend time in virtual realms. I was trying to say that the internet as a piece of technology is not all bad. I’m so grateful that we have the internet right now.” | Your play “I was thinking about climate change, working with the idea that nature had become so compromised, it was actually far more pleasant to spend time in virtual realms. I was trying to say that the internet as a piece of technology is not all bad. I’m so grateful that we have the internet right now.” |
How to live now “We’ve been living under the illusion that we can reliably predict what our lives might look like a week, a month, year or two from where we are. All of a sudden, we don’t know.” | How to live now “We’ve been living under the illusion that we can reliably predict what our lives might look like a week, a month, year or two from where we are. All of a sudden, we don’t know.” |
The Gym at Judson, 2015 | The Gym at Judson, 2015 |
Apocalyptic event Returning astronauts seed earth with apian life-forms who enslave humanity. A generation later, humanity rebels. | Apocalyptic event Returning astronauts seed earth with apian life-forms who enslave humanity. A generation later, humanity rebels. |
Your environment “I’m in my apartment in Long Island City with my wife, Sandy. She just popped in to say that she’s saving me from the apocalypse. She went through the various canned stuff and figured out how many meals we have left.” | Your environment “I’m in my apartment in Long Island City with my wife, Sandy. She just popped in to say that she’s saving me from the apocalypse. She went through the various canned stuff and figured out how many meals we have left.” |
Your play “In my plays, collapse is specifically motivated by human actions. A big difference between that and the coronavirus situation is that viruses don’t think like a human enemy. They’re just doing their thing." | Your play “In my plays, collapse is specifically motivated by human actions. A big difference between that and the coronavirus situation is that viruses don’t think like a human enemy. They’re just doing their thing." |
How to live now “Jumping into apocalyptic science fiction was a way of getting away from myself. I was like, I want to force my drama into a world that I couldn’t possibly survive in. Now I’m actually looking down the barrel of a world where, if there were total societal breakdown, I would be one of the first to go. I can’t fight. I can’t forage. My wife would outlive me by quite a bit.” | How to live now “Jumping into apocalyptic science fiction was a way of getting away from myself. I was like, I want to force my drama into a world that I couldn’t possibly survive in. Now I’m actually looking down the barrel of a world where, if there were total societal breakdown, I would be one of the first to go. I can’t fight. I can’t forage. My wife would outlive me by quite a bit.” |
Manhattan Theater Club, 2016 | Manhattan Theater Club, 2016 |
Apocalyptic event In an ecologically imperiled future, the British government has placed profound limits on childbearing. One woman tries to flout the system. | Apocalyptic event In an ecologically imperiled future, the British government has placed profound limits on childbearing. One woman tries to flout the system. |
Your environment “We are in London: me, my partner, our toddler and our dog. In some ways, my life isn’t so radically different — I work from home, we hardly ever went out in the evenings. But our routine has shrunk, and anxiety for the people we love and the world and the vulnerable is huge.” | Your environment “We are in London: me, my partner, our toddler and our dog. In some ways, my life isn’t so radically different — I work from home, we hardly ever went out in the evenings. But our routine has shrunk, and anxiety for the people we love and the world and the vulnerable is huge.” |
Your play “It was inspired by research I did about the climate crisis — a year of research followed by five years of living with the anxiety resulting from that research." | Your play “It was inspired by research I did about the climate crisis — a year of research followed by five years of living with the anxiety resulting from that research." |
How to live now “Just over two years ago, our child was born with a serious long-term medical condition, and I’ve learned a lot about being in the moment, not projecting too far into the future and trying to manage overwhelming feelings of anxiety. I have also developed a profound respect and gratitude for people working at every level of the health-care profession. We are in their hands now.” | How to live now “Just over two years ago, our child was born with a serious long-term medical condition, and I’ve learned a lot about being in the moment, not projecting too far into the future and trying to manage overwhelming feelings of anxiety. I have also developed a profound respect and gratitude for people working at every level of the health-care profession. We are in their hands now.” |
LCT3, 2017 | LCT3, 2017 |
Apocalyptic event An unnamed catastrophe has damaged the earth’s surface, perhaps irreparably. Underground, a woman bonds with a robot. | Apocalyptic event An unnamed catastrophe has damaged the earth’s surface, perhaps irreparably. Underground, a woman bonds with a robot. |
Your environment “I had a job in Australia; my parents came with me. Paul, my partner, was in London working on the ‘Batman’ movie. Paul’s production shut down, and then my production shut down. And as of yesterday morning at 6 a.m., we’re staying in my parents’ basement. I’m grateful to not be totally alone.” | Your environment “I had a job in Australia; my parents came with me. Paul, my partner, was in London working on the ‘Batman’ movie. Paul’s production shut down, and then my production shut down. And as of yesterday morning at 6 a.m., we’re staying in my parents’ basement. I’m grateful to not be totally alone.” |
Your play “I thought about it for like five years. It seemed really important to me that it be ecological, but that it not be an accident, like a meteor or something that had no causality. My friends who are introverted who saw my play, were like, that seems like a very hopeful future — where people are safe and spend their days reading and doing science.” | Your play “I thought about it for like five years. It seemed really important to me that it be ecological, but that it not be an accident, like a meteor or something that had no causality. My friends who are introverted who saw my play, were like, that seems like a very hopeful future — where people are safe and spend their days reading and doing science.” |
Updated June 12, 2020 | Updated June 12, 2020 |
So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | |
A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. |
States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. |
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
How to live now “I wouldn’t say I feel prepared in any way. But I am like, ‘Oh, all of the Oregon Trail skills that I have may come in handy.’ ” | How to live now “I wouldn’t say I feel prepared in any way. But I am like, ‘Oh, all of the Oregon Trail skills that I have may come in handy.’ ” |
Playwrights Horizons, 2018 | Playwrights Horizons, 2018 |
Apocalyptic event In this fierce satire, women have gone extinct, and abortion is illegal. Somehow two men have and lose a baby. | Apocalyptic event In this fierce satire, women have gone extinct, and abortion is illegal. Somehow two men have and lose a baby. |
Your environment “I’m sheltering with my partner at our home upstate. We are adjusting to being around each other so much. We have to find the time to settle down and quiet our minds. The challenge of sitting inside the unknowable is something I usually manufacture in my art. But this is not a 90 minute one-act.” | Your environment “I’m sheltering with my partner at our home upstate. We are adjusting to being around each other so much. We have to find the time to settle down and quiet our minds. The challenge of sitting inside the unknowable is something I usually manufacture in my art. But this is not a 90 minute one-act.” |
Your play “I imagined a world where half the population disappeared. I hope we are not living through that right now." | Your play “I imagined a world where half the population disappeared. I hope we are not living through that right now." |
How to live now “The thrill of being an artist is to imagine the unimaginable. There is no thrill in sitting inside of a real pandemic. This is not fiction.” | How to live now “The thrill of being an artist is to imagine the unimaginable. There is no thrill in sitting inside of a real pandemic. This is not fiction.” |
Ars Nova, 2018 | Ars Nova, 2018 |
Apocalyptic event Climate change and resource scarcity have created profound political upheaval. In the 23rd century, government cracks down on cyborg life as a ragtag band plays on. | Apocalyptic event Climate change and resource scarcity have created profound political upheaval. In the 23rd century, government cracks down on cyborg life as a ragtag band plays on. |
Your environment “I’m in my apartment in Brooklyn, in an old building on Ocean Avenue. I live with my partner — and our two cats — and we’re both here doodling away, getting in each other’s hair.” | Your environment “I’m in my apartment in Brooklyn, in an old building on Ocean Avenue. I live with my partner — and our two cats — and we’re both here doodling away, getting in each other’s hair.” |
Your play “I was thinking of climate shift and the resulting political divisions. I truly hadn’t imagined a giant plague scenario.” | Your play “I was thinking of climate shift and the resulting political divisions. I truly hadn’t imagined a giant plague scenario.” |
How to live now “I so desperately want this to be temporary. I’m intrigued by the creativity that is emerging in this new social-spatial arrangement. And I’m curious about what will stick.” | How to live now “I so desperately want this to be temporary. I’m intrigued by the creativity that is emerging in this new social-spatial arrangement. And I’m curious about what will stick.” |
Postponed from the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s 2020 spring season | Postponed from the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s 2020 spring season |
Apocalyptic event A couple decides whether or not to bring a baby into a world that seems much like ours, but devolves into ecological catastrophe and extreme inequality. | Apocalyptic event A couple decides whether or not to bring a baby into a world that seems much like ours, but devolves into ecological catastrophe and extreme inequality. |
Your environment “I’m at home in North West London. My son is having his last day at school. Things are eerie. The shops are empty. My phone is lighting up with people either panicking or sending funny videos.” | Your environment “I’m at home in North West London. My son is having his last day at school. Things are eerie. The shops are empty. My phone is lighting up with people either panicking or sending funny videos.” |
Your play “‘Lungs’ touches on political unrest, climate change, economic uncertainty. When I wrote it, people seemed to find the characters’ global concerns absurd. Now it seems less satirical.” | Your play “‘Lungs’ touches on political unrest, climate change, economic uncertainty. When I wrote it, people seemed to find the characters’ global concerns absurd. Now it seems less satirical.” |
How to live now “We’re experiencing the sort of disruption that people elsewhere in the world have been experiencing for a long time. I’m choosing to see this as a collective act of compassion that we’re choosing to undertake as a way to protect those who are less privileged and more vulnerable than we are.” | How to live now “We’re experiencing the sort of disruption that people elsewhere in the world have been experiencing for a long time. I’m choosing to see this as a collective act of compassion that we’re choosing to undertake as a way to protect those who are less privileged and more vulnerable than we are.” |