Cabaret Artico! Let’s Play the Climate! Cabaret Artico is the name of the show presented by SCT Centre UniTo and Compagnia Il Melarancio for Green Ethics, a project funded by the Creative Europe Large Scale Call.
On December 6, 2024, the evocative setting of the Fonderie Limone hosted the national premiere of Cabaret Artico – Let’s Play the Climate, with a sold-out audience of 400 attendees.
This performance marks the first national premiere in a series of shows that will animate the 12 European cities involved in the project. The performance format will ultimately reach 120 cities across 12 countries, engaging 18 European partners, with the aim of raising awareness and inspiring community action on climate change through the power of performing arts.
The challenge of Cabaret Artico, created within the Green E.Th.I.Cs project, is to tell the story of the climate crisis through theater with realism and hope. Drawing from scientific data that unequivocally show how human actions have produced the current climate change, the show also presents the possibilities for a fair and sustainable future that are still within our reach.
As the performance emphasizes, the future does not depend solely on individual lifestyle changes, but even more on collective commitment—engaging citizens, and both local and global politics. As Italian songwriter Giorgio Gaber once said, “Freedom is participation,” and climate change is a common, political, and collective challenge—not one for future generations alone, but for all of us today.
Cabaret Artico also challenges traditional theater norms, both in how it is created and performed. Developed through an artistic approach that blends professional theatrical research with social and community theater, the show is the result of a meeting between culture and science. Its content is informed by careful scientific research, developed in collaboration with the Polytechnic of Crete (a Green E.Th.I.Cs project partner), and enriched by more than 50 interviews with climatologists, activists, residents, students, adolescents, and senior citizens.
An interactive performance inspired by the Game of the Goose, Cabaret Artico is both a show to watch and a game to participate in. The dramaturgy—from the characters to the musical choices—draws from the cabaret and café-chantant traditions, spanning from the 1920s to the 1970s, blending song, music, storytelling, and theater, oscillating between comedic and dramatic tones with a lively and slightly irreverent spirit.
On stage: two actors, three musicians, a singer-actress, and 45 residents from Turin and Moncalieri who participated in the debut in a special way, alternating in rapid scenes. Each of the 24 spaces of the Game of the Goose reveals information or tells a story related to the climate crisis.
“The performance based on the Game of the Goose was designed to stimulate critical thinking among the participants. Each space addresses a different perspective on the climate crisis, aiming to challenge stereotypes and encourage new views on environmental challenges. In addition to the actors, the performance includes citizens who have worked with us over the past months and who bring diverse perspectives on sustainability,” says Alberto Pagliarino, Project Manager of the Green E.Th.I.Cs project and author of Cabaret Artico.
Cabaret Artico invites us to recognize ourselves as part of a single ecosystem shared by humans and non-humans alike—an ecosystem whose present and future existence we all can, and must, protect together. Because together, “we can (still) do it!
AUSZEIT or the Great Game Against Time and the Devil! Studio 7 is one of the artistic partners of the Green E.Th.I.Cs Project. It’s based in Schwerte, a town near Dortmund.
The show they premiered is a blend of game show, musical, drama, and interactive theater, inviting the audience to step into a dazzling world where the future of our planet is at stake.
With music, humor, poetry, and gripping scenes, the audience becomes part of a thrilling quest to challenge the absurd rules of a broken system. Will we be clever enough to change the course of the game and win the race against time and the Devil? The show unveils the absurdity of broken systems and highlights the power of collective action.
Created as a collective work, AUSZEIT was developed by a multicultural ensemble featuring an Argentinian actress, a Colombian actress—both living in Germany—a German actor, and a Chilean actor living in Italy. With the support of Christoph Falke as dramaturgical advisor, the piece was brought to life during an intensive creative process throughout February, during which the ensemble lived and worked together in Schwerte, the home base of Studio 7 Theater.
The premiere took place on February 28th and March 1st at the large cultural center “Rohrmeisterei” in Schwerte, where they held two performances, each attended by 150 spectators.
“Emergency Meeting” of Bibi’s Acting Team Children’s Creativity Event: “Bibi Slikovcica’s Magic Shelves”
In the small municipality of Knjaževac, Serbia, the public library “Njegoš” has become a vibrant cultural hub, hosting various events, including activities within the Green E.Th.I.Cs Project. One such event focused on climate change, global warming, and their negative effects on nature and human health, leading to the creation of the interactive play Emergency Meeting.
Bibi’s experienced young performers collaborated with professional actor Nikola Pavlović, who took on the roles of instructor, screenwriter, and director. Members of Bibi’s YouTube studio also participated, adding multimedia elements to the show. Over two weeks of full-day work at the library, the team developed a creative and educational performance aimed at raising environmental awareness.
“Emergency Meeting” premiered on September 10th and 11th 2024, as part of the “September Days of the Magic Shelves” program, with four additional performances. The show was attended by approximately 1,150 people, including preschoolers, elementary and high school students, and their teachers.
The project aimed to highlight the urgency of climate issues while promoting examples of good practices to reduce environmental and health impacts. With this initiative, the “Njegoš” Library strengthened its role as a cultural leader and active partner in the EU co-funded Green E.Th.I.Cs Project, supported by local and national institutions.
“Everything’s Fine” A bit of a bittersweet affair.
Brama Theatre is based in Goleniów, in the West Pomeranian region of Poland. Goleniów is surrounded by the Goleniów Forest (Puszcza Goleniowska), one of the most important natural areas in the country. This forest is home to many rare species of flora and fauna, which is why several areas have been designated as protected sites. The local population is deeply committed to preserving the environment and addressing the challenges of climate change.
“Everything’s Fine” is the performance that Brama Theatre presented as part of the Green E.Th.I.Cs Project.
The premiere took place in Goleniów on November 22th, 2024. More than 50 people were involved in the creation and presentation of the show. The performance brought together a diverse group of participants — young and old, from various cultural backgrounds — creating a rich and inclusive experience.
The performance itself was both playful and poignant, taking the form of a symbolic tournament where two teams competed to see who could do more to cool down the climate. It was a powerful exploration of collective responsibility, staged with creativity and heart.
“The Market of Lies” a performance by Residui Teatro.
“The Market of Lies” was presented by Residui Teatro to the students of one of the largest Italian school abroad.
Part of the Green E.Th.I.Cs Project, the show is structured like a “fair.” It opens with a mock conference in which a character provocatively questions the existence of climate change. This shocking assertion sparks reflection and invites the audience to critically engage with the topic.
The audience is then encouraged to explore the designated space — a kind of marketplace, in this case the school’s outdoor courtyard — and experience seven short, interactive theatrical scenes.
The show begins with the bold claim: “Climate change doesn’t exist.” Delivered by an eccentric host standing atop a metal ladder, this statement sets an absurd and tragicomic tone for the journey ahead. Each market stall represents a stage in this journey.
At every stage, dynamic and colorful characters perform dramatic stories drawn from different parts of the world. Some stories are presented as direct denunciations, while others subtly critique the current socio-political response to the global climate crisis, hidden beneath a veil of apparent indifference.
The performance concludes with a final circle that gathers all audience members and actors for the closing scene: a collective song in which students are invited to participate — the symbolic culmination of their journey through the “market.”
From the perspective of the audience — or traveler — the Green E.T.H.I.Cs performance is both engaging and thought-provoking. It addresses the issue of climate change in a way that is anything but ordinary, confronting complex topics that often go unnoticed in daily life.
The show was met with enthusiasm, surprise, and, at times, skepticism. At one school in particular, some students appeared torn between fascination and distrust — likely because the performance style was so different from typical school programming. Nonetheless, the play succeeded in capturing the attention and interest of many young viewers.
Three key elements contributed to its success: The use of multiple theatrical forms (dance, drama, singing, and live music); the unconventional dramaturgy, centered on the provocative idea that climate change is a hoax; the innovative use of nontraditional performance space.
Together, these elements managed to hold the attention of a large portion of the audience. While not every student was immediately engaged, those who seemed the least interested during the performance were often the most curious afterward, eager to talk with the artists.
“The road ahead is long, but we believe that our ‘Market of Lies’ may be a seed that will one day bear fruit in some of these young people,”.
one day bear fruit in some of these young people,”.
” The Green Life” a performance by Omma Studio.
The premier of the performance/game titled “The Green Life”, took place on December the 20th, 2024, in the public Art High School of Heraklion. About 170 youngsters have witnessed the performance / game which deals with the major problem of our planet, climate change. Omma Studio in this show combined fun and information upon this subject, with a humorous and at the same time didactic way.
During the show, the special bikes which produce electricity were presented. The young audience was really impressed by them, and gave full energy doing pedal. As the teachers commented after the show: “It was a creative and fruitful experience for the pupils of our school”.
The script was written by Antonis Diamantis and performed by Antonis Diamantis, Irene Koutsaki, Myrto Papadopoulou.
Green Ethics project is co-funded by Creative Europe programme of the European Union.
With the support of the National Cultural Fund (Nemzeti Kulturális Alap).
