You are Cordially Invited to the End of the World!

Between strengthening natural disasters, extreme heat, and ecological disruption from shifting habitat conditions, the climate crisis is becoming increasingly challenging to ignore. Despite the current administration's best efforts, the Overton window shifts every day. Mainstream art is starting to not only reference the climate crisis, but center around it. Some examples include the film "Don't Look Up" and "Despite Repeated Warnings" by Paul McCartney. Unsurprisingly, climate is an even stronger presence in Boston's famously cerebral art scene.

Company One Theatre is a Boston-based arts organization with the mission to build community at the intersection of art and social change, and their current production "You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World" is a fantasia on grief, incorporating climate and ecological themes including the military industrial complex's relationship with the crisis, species extinction, and the tension between individual action and the awareness of its comparatively small impact. The play is running at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square through March 28, and tickets are pay-what-you-will, starting at $0.

XR Boston was invited by Company One to be a community partner for "You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World," including our Media & Messaging coordinator Jamie participating in a post-show talkback last week. We'll be tabling before performances throughout the run as well, so make sure to come to the library and say hello!

"You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World" centers around Greg, who in the first scene of the play is informed that he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer. It's a terminal diagnosis, and now he and his family must process it. In response to this wave of grief and uncertainty, Greg becomes fixated on Earth's parallel dying process. Greta Thunberg appears in his dreams. He begins digging up his previously "perfect" lawn to create a better space for biodiversity. This shift is portrayed by the playwright for somewhat comedic effect, perhaps-misguided mania as Greg faces his own mortality.

First of all, the desire to take action to stop Earth’s destruction is not mania, it’s rational. This is the only planet on which we can live, on which our loved ones and their descendants can live, and it is in collapse. We highly recommend reading this article sitting down. Our society has long functioned with a framework for dealing with small-scale loss, the loss of a loved one, even a diagnosis like Greg’s. However, we are only just beginning to grapple with the existential loss that our planet faces. It’s a new kind of scary. How else to open the door to that grief, than through dream sequences and metaphors? That's not rhetorical, it's a question for all artists today, and we need to ask it with urgency.

Watching Greg frantically dig holes in his yard, the thought becomes too loud to ignore: He doesn't have to do this alone. Individual action is healthy, but collective action is how change is made, and it’s never been more possible. Organizations already exist to amplify your efforts. This is only briefly touched upon in the play, during a side character's impassioned monologue about recycling. Alone, we can only do so much. Together, we are the strongest force on Earth.

Like Greg, you don't need to "dig holes alone." It's not too late to save the world. If you're new to organizing, join an in-person Heading for Extinction Talk or an online Welcome Call. If you're ready to connect with a community of inspiring action-takers, we'll see you at our next General Meeting.