"Anthropocene," an original piece of devised theater from ASU, is performing Sept. 29 at a UNESCO forum in Paris.
ASU performers will take the stage at UNESCO's Management of Social Transformations forum, a summit bringing together leaders from government, business, finance and other sectors from around the world to discuss public policy and climate action.
According to its website, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization promotes cooperation across fields and communication to foster peace worldwide.
RachelBowditch, the show's director, said an audience member invited "Anthropocene" to perform at the UNESCO conference after watching its second production in 2025.
"The arts are a vital partner in this larger conversation about sustainability and the climate crisis," Bowditch said.
"Anthropocene" aims to address climate change through artistic imagination and non-linear storytelling, focusing on issues such as overconsumption, AI, climate refugeeism and more.
Bowditch first had the idea for the piece as a fellow at Harvard University when a speaker from the United Nations used the term "Anthropocene." It refers to the current geological era that we are living in that is dominated by human influence.
The show has been featured in Green Living Magazine and has won multiple awards and grants. Bowditch said she is excited to bring "Anthropocene" to a new scale in front of policymakers from around the world.
She said "Anthropocene" was created using devised theater, a collaborative improvisational process that does not always follow the format of traditional theater.
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Bowditch said the entire team researched different elements of the climate crisis and created moments that they felt represented their findings.
"We started to just string these different moments together," Bowditch said. "You don't follow one person's story, and there's no dialogue in the show. It's following flashes of characters through time."
The show has gone through different iterations over the years while maintaining its original message of sustainability and climate activism. It originally premiered at ASU's Paul V. Galvin Playhouse in 2023, then was revamped at the Media and Immersive eXperience Center in Mesa in 2025.
Saza Kent, a co-founder of EPIK Dance Company and an ASU alumna, choreographed the show after Bowditch reached out to her. She said she worked directly with the actors to devise choreography.
"When you hear consumerism, you don't necessarily think, 'dance,'" Kent said. "We can use these different art forms to express such a complicated idea in a way that really tugs at people's emotions."
Kent said her favorite choreographic moment from the show is the "extreme weather piece," a high-energy moment with many cast members rolling, jumping and moving around the stage to simulate a storm.
"The first step is just awareness," Kent said. "If we all made small changes each day, we could make such a huge difference in taking care of our planet."
Kent said she has worked on pieces about climate activism in the past, and she was glad to see the material connecting with a new generation of students.
Philip Byrnes, an ASU alumus, first auditioned for "Anthropocene" when he was a student and remained involved in the project over the years. He said it was his first time working with devised theater.
"Combining art, science, activism is something I'm deeply passionate about," Byrnes said. "Using art as a form of protest is so important to me."
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Byrnes said his favorite moment from the show is when he and a friend play models dressed in garments made from plastic Target bags. He said the cast's support made him feel more confident about stepping into a character he's never played before.
"We started off as students and now we're professionals," Byrnes said. "Us going to Paris is the biggest thing that any of us have ever done."
The show began with a three-story set, but to accommodate traveling to Paris, the cast adapted to only use chairs. Byrnes said cast members volunteered to bring checked bags full of props that will be used in the performance.
Bowditch said removing the set lost some of the show's "wow factor," but the message remains just as impactful even when "Anthropocene" is more minimalistic than it previously was.
"Any audience member can learn a little bit of something from 'Anthropocene,' even if they've seen it before," Byrnes said. "They always learn something new about the environment. I really enjoy that."
He added that the cast members find a lot of joy in performing "Anthropocene" and are always happy to come back to it after time away.
Byrnes said that since working on the project, he became more conscious of his plastic use and stopped using plastic cups in favor of reusable ones.
"Being able to live out my childhood dream of performing in Paris is really special to me," Byrnes said. "The show being about such an important issue as well, in such a huge stage, is beyond my wildest dreams."
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf III, Carsten Oyer and Sophia Keeling.
Reach the reporter at ajanusee@asu.edu and follow @lexijanusee on X.
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Lexi Janusee is a senior reporter at The State Press. She is a sophomore studying Journalism with a minor in Theatre. This is her third semester with The State Press, working previously as a full-time Echo reporter.
