This was just sent our way by Michael-Johnson Chase, the co-curator of the event:

Join us on April 23rd, the evening after Earth Day, at 6:30 pm at the Martin E. Segal Theater Center at the CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, to explore what theatre artists and production staff are doing to meet the extraordinary challenges of climate change. At a time when local, state and federal governments are setting goals for reduction in carbon emissions, holding public meetings to solicit public recommendations for adapting to rising sea levels; when businesses are beginning to talk about renewable energy, closed-loop waste streams, and innovative mobility systems; what are we doing in the theatre?

This event will explore theatre and the environment from two perspectives: the process of making theatre, and the theatre we make. On the process side, we will explore building performance and renewable energy, facilities management, closed loop set design and construction and intelligent recycling. On the content side we will see an excerpt of a new play by Shelia Callaghan. Directed by Daniella Topol, we will learn from her how this multimedia theatre piece about water has been shaped through her consultations with scientists at the Department of Environmental Conservation. We will also reflect on Bill McKibben’s lament that the theatre lags behind other art forms in grasping – and mining - the full artistic potential of this issue.

Panelists include Gideon Banner, actor and founder of the Green Theater Initiative; Bob Usdin, founder and CEO of Showman Fabricators; Benno Van Noort, LEED-certified director of facilities at the New Victory Theatre and The New 42nd Street Studios; NYC Director Daniella Topol; Marda Kirn, founder and Executive Director of EcoArts in Boulder, Colorado; and Ben Todd, Executive Director and fuel cell technology expert at the Arcola Theatre in London. Seema Sueko, Artistic Director of Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company in San Diego, will participate via a Skype feed (as a way to lower our carbon footprint). We may also be joined by Lisa Phillips, a former theatre producer who works for the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy, an affiliate of the Columbia University Earth Institute.

This program is co-curated for CUNY by Michael Johnson-Chase, a former theatre professor, international program director at the Lark Play Development Center, producer and writer. After a stint as a solar installer, he is working his way into the intersection of the arts and the environment. He currently is a grant writer for Solar One; an environmentally focused arts and education center in NYC.