24. Laura Dunn — Live! Prophets! Live!
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If you’re concerned about what we’re doing to the climate and ecosystems around the planet and you’ve ever expressed those concerns to anyone, you probably know what it feels like to be seen as a Cassandra—the pessimist, the naysayer, the party pooper of Greek mythology. But the part of the myth we often forget is that Cassandra was a truth teller. She was right!
The theater artist and activist, Laura Dunn, has brought the myth of Cassandra into an uproarious cabaret musical, called Live! Prophets! Live!, where Cassandra is a scientist who journeys into the underworld, where she meets many other truth-telling, trouble-making, prophetic woman from across the ages and confronts the very modern problems of climate change and ecological catastrophe.
Laura Dunn is a multitalented theater artist: a playwright, actor, musician, composer, and activist. She’s also a poet and recipient of the Oregon Literary Fellowship from Literary Arts. Through her nonprofit theater company in Portland, Oregon, called The Broken Planetarium, she creates original productions that bring together professional artists and people new to theater. This kind of theater is all too rare, but it has a special ability to build community and draw more people into creativity and performance—and into a fun, campy, important discussion about how to change the world for the better.
I'm John Fiege, and this is Chrysalis. You can subscribe at johnfiege.earth, where you will also find show notes and all episodes of the podcast, plus my writing, photographs, and films.
I recorded this conversation in November of 2022. You can see Laura's lastest productions at brokenplanetarium.org.
Here is Laura Dunn.
Recommended Readings & Media:
- Spider Blue By Laura Dunn
- Pissed-Off Prophets & Climate Catastrophe: The Broken Planetarium's Live! Prophets! Live! By Brett Campbell, for Oregon Arts Watch
- How to Make Thrilling Theater About Climate Change Negotiations By Alex Marshall, for the New York Times
Credits
This episode was researched by Lydia Montgomery and edited by Sarah Westrich, with additional editing by Isabella Fleming, Arthur Koenig, and Marta Kondratiuk. Music is by Daniel Rodriguez Vivas. Mixing is by Morgan Honaker.