The Sustainable Theatre project is dedicated to delivering sustainably made theatre in non-traditional spaces to encourage the reinvestigation and importance of human stories in the global effort to spread knowledge and empathy around climate change
Steven Gaultney’s
Bright Light Burning (Belém)
Steven Gaultney’s Bright Light Burning at COP30, Belém, Brazil
Steven Gaultney’s Bright Light Burning is a theatrical journey that merges artistry, storytelling, and environmental activism. Our interdisciplinary production aims to shift perspectives, evoke empathy, and galvanize audiences to take meaningful steps toward a sustainable future.
Set in the year 2099, the audience gathers in a theatre in Belém, Brazil, which has been repurposed as a holding center for migrants. The narrative focuses on characters who must deal with the realities of climate-induced migration, and the audience is cast as migrants alongside them.
Rewritten for young performers in Belém, whose lives will be shaped by today’s decisions, reminding us of our responsibility to be good ancestors. Blurring the line between performer and observer, the play is a powerful statement on the social and emotional toll of climate displacement. It emphasizes the urgent need for empathy and collective action in the face of global crises.
Past Productions
The Earth does not wait. It turns. It carries us whether we are ready or not. In Sharm El-Sheikh, voices rose to remind us that time is not a resource to be bargained—it is the measure of our courage. The turning asks: what will you set in motion, what will you mend, before the circle closes again?
The Earth Turns, inspired by the University of Exeter’s Green Futures: We Still Have a Chance, premiered at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, resonated in downtown Cairo, and lives on as an evocative audio play. A call to action for a world still within reach.
In Dubai, migrants from the Global South lit the dark with a fire that refused to be extinguished. Not a performance, but a promise: to live as if the future is watching, to act as if the unborn are present. Their light asked of us all—will you pass on embers or ashes?
Bright Light Burning, created by Steven Gaultney with The Theatre of Others and University of Exeter’s Green Futures: We Are the Possible, premiered at COP28 in Dubai. Performed across the UAE, livestreamed worldwide, and welcomed into delegate policy spaces, it sparks urgent dialogue on our shared future.
In Baku, the circle widens. The young carry forward the flame, demanding not pity but partnership. They remind us that to be an ancestor is not a matter of time, but of choice. We burn brightly not for ourselves, but for those whose names we will never know. To be remembered as guardians, not as witnesses to collapse—that is the work of today.
Bright Light Burning was reimagined at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, with young performers whose lives will be shaped by today’s decisions, reminding us of our responsibility to be good ancestors.
Our Expertise
Our collective brings together directors, writers, teachers, ancestors, and citizens who have made theatre across continents, cultures, and contexts. We have created performances in places of privilege and scarcity, for audiences shaped by radically different socio-economic realities, always attuned to the lived experience of the communities we serve. Our expertise lies not only in staging work, but in listening, translating, and adapting—crafting theatre that resonates across borders and generations. We draw from both rigorous artistic research and lived global practice, uniting creative risk with social responsibility.
Director, Joshua Waterstone, sets up the Live Stream of Bright Light Burning, COP28, Dubai, UAE
Director, Adam Marple, speaks at The Global Stocktake, COP27, Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt
Playwright, Steven Gaultney, at a talkback for Bright Light Burning, COP29, Baku, Azerbaijan
Press
The Earth Turns, featured on Al Hurra Television, the #3 most-watched network in the MENA region, reached audiences of millions across the Middle East and North Africa.
Project Manager Adam Marple was a panelist on People, Planet, and Performance: From the Global South to the World - Retooling Green Tools for Theatre in Africa, featured on HowlRound Theatre Commons, a leading international platform for theatre practitioners and scholarship.
Our production, The Earth Turns, was the subject of an article in The Lancet Planetary Health, New narratives for a healthy planet: creative writing and art projects reveal We Still Have a Chance, recognizing the role of performance in advancing planetary health.
The Earth Turns was featured by The American University in Cairo, one of the region’s leading institutions for research and the arts, spotlighting our work at the intersection of performance and sustainability.
Project Manager Adam Marple was an invited panelist at Learn to Unlearn: New Eco Production Models in (Future) Theatre, an international hybrid discussion on sustainable stage design and costumes, as part of a multi-day program on culture, climate change, and transformative policies.
Our production of Bright Light Burning was featured in The Conversation’s article COP28: Climate change theatre and performances reveal new narratives about how we need to live, exploring the role of performance in shaping climate awareness.
Director Adam Marple was invited as a featured speaker at the Nova Institute of Health 2023 Annual Conference Seeds of Change: Inspiring a Better Future, presenting a live excerpt of The Earth Turns.
Playwright Steven Gaultney and Director Adam Marple were featured in a Columbia University interview on Bringing Environmental Plays to COP Climate Conferences, showcasing our work at the intersection of performance and climate action.