Book Reviews: 100 Plays to Save the World

It just 200 pages, this is a great read that can kick-start theatrical direction but also provoke internal debate by making those reading it consider their own accountability in relation to the climate crisis, and artistically respond.

Yes – of course the reader can dip in, find an appropriate play-text, and produce a production about the climate crisis; but this book gets you to think beyond just play-finding: by educating you about the hows and whys surrounding the situation we find ourselves in.

The selection is pretty timeless: Yes, there's a Shakespeare, an Ibsen, a Brecht and a Beckett, but all are made thematically relevant to the here and now. A sizable portion are new plays from new playwrights, with a good number coming from the last five years. It rightly includes plays written by global majority playwrights, thus allowing different cultural perspectives to be brought to the reader's attention.

The book is split into twelve sections. For each section, there are between 6 and ten plays. Each has a brief rundown of sorts, each with their inclusion in the book being brilliantly rationalised in connection to the book as a whole and its titled section. I loved the fact that the appendices have a raft of resources of websites, podcasts, books, films and essays for the reader to use to further explore the subject, and a non-gender-specific index of the plays by cast size to allow flexibility.

The plays are drawn from around the world, covering themes such as resources, energy, migration, responsibility and hope; each play is explored in a concise essay illuminating its key themes, and highlighting its contribution to our understanding of climate issues.

The bottom line – will it work for your students? Well, I definitely could see a good range of the plays suggested working with classes, irrespective of background or ability.

If anything, if it's an important enough text, you'd tailor it to their needs. There are plays mentioned that I will definitely find out more about, and my horizons were broadened. With the busyness of our lives, this book presents quick, pragmatic hooks to get you to choose plays beyond the usual, plays to excite, educate, and inform in equal measure you and your performers, as well as their audience.