Through dance and theater, 'A Climatic Gathering' is a physical theater live performance that imparts a view of a low-income American family that gathers for Christmas but through a voyeuristic journey, we quickly see the nuances of their choices as a society and its effects on the environment. The story involves the slow violence of a father working in a meat factory, the bravery of a mother defeated in her own house, an artistic daughter who brings her vibrant partner home, and a brother who is suppressing his femininity. Each character and relationship embody environmental elements and natural disasters associated with the effects of cattle farming. The purpose is so we can humanize how climate change is escalating everywhere while bringing to light a specific subject that most Americans have a relationship with whether through consumption, farming, or association. This 60–90-minute performance acknowledges the microaggressions in our current environmental climate and personify them in physical, emotional, and social form to create empathy towards our natural world.

Photo by Pat Berret featuring Kelly Ashton Todd, 2019.