As golden hour descended over Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport late Saturday, Luke Myers geared up for his fourth time hosting a Climate Change Theatre Action event. He wandered the outdoor event space, enjoying an oyster from Mere Point Oyster Farm and talking to attendees.
“I’m very excited about what we’re doing this year,” Myers said. “I’ve found in the past with events like these that audiences have shared that they feel compelled themselves to find what their calling is to explore climate justice, and that’s kinda what I hope happens today.”
Over the course of the early evening, a large group gathered to watch six live theatre productions, all centered around climate change. It was part of an initiative by Climate Change Theatre Action, where around 50 playwrights from all over the world write short climate change plays to be shared in small productions. The productions always include a climate action element, something that Myers feels passionate about.
“I think climate change is the biggest issue facing humanity for our lifetime,” Myers said. “I’m an artist above all else, so I want to use my art and passion with climate justice to come together.”
This year’s theater pieces were chosen based on their ability to move Myers. The first play of the evening, a production called “Bare Spaces,” was written by award-winning playwright Angie Emurwon from Uganda. It is an ode to Emurwon’s grandmothers, and was performed by actor Katelyn Manfre against a clear November sky.
“I love the being outdoors piece of this evening,” attendee Alex Spiva said. “It’s exciting to see the different plays.”
The second play, written by playwright Miranda Rose Hall of Baltimore, Maryland, and accompanied by music from local Maine composer Paul Fidalgo, described the plight of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. It was the play that Myers, an oyster farmer at Mere Point Oysters, was most excited to see.
“I hope our audience can learn a little bit more about both oysters and climate change, and hopefully get more involved,” Myers said.
For Kelly Punch, another oyster farmer at Mere Point Oysters, the play hit close to home.
“Oysters have a really big effect on climate change. They’re a filtration system,” Punch said. “The bays right out here are where we’re growing our oysters.”
As an oyster farm, Punch said Mere Point has added anywhere between 8 million and 12 million oysters to Maine waters, and the company is already seeing a “huge difference” in the health of the waters they farm in.
Not only are the oysters healthy, Punch said, but ocean creatures and bays are thriving.
“We’re seeing a lot more jellyfish and other creatures,” Punch said. “It’s a great way to increase the health of a bay.”
Throughout the evening at Wolfe’s Neck Center, attendees roamed around the center grounds, taking in three more pieces of theater.
The third play, titled “Eat the Rich” and written by Tira Palmquist, followed the story of orca whales insistent on knocking over harmful yachts, and was met with continuous laughter from the audience.
The fourth production, “Love Out of the Ruins,” was written by Zoe Svendson and discussed the future of living in a high-carbon culture, while the fifth production, “Ranger,” was written by Algonquin Nation native Yvette Nolan and explored the idea of a group of people creating their own national park.
The sixth and final play, “Letters to the Ocean,” served as the title of the night’s event, and was written by Caridad Svitch.
“It was the one I was most excited for,” attendee Stephanie McSherry said. “It’s really important, especially in Maine, to have awareness of the planet and what we need to do to protect it.”
With the evening of outdoor theater coming to a close as the sun began to set, organizer Myers said he hoped the plays inspired audience members to think about what their role in realizing a just climate world could be.
“I think that’s the way forward,” Myers said.
https://www.pressherald.com/2025/11/09/climate-change-theater-inspires-audience-in-freeport/
