Our Shows & Projects

Gateways: Scenes from the Climate Era

“What happens after the play is the point of the play”

As part of our ongoing commitment to finding ways for theatre to have impact beyond the confines of a space and to engage with the context we make work with, we created Gateways. Gateways is a series of talks, commissions, and curated events that offer audiences opportunities to learn more about our work, our artists, and how our productions relate to the wider world.

Alongside ‘Scenes from the Climate Era’, our Gateways offerings respond to the themes of the play, invite audiences to learn more about climate action and platform responses to the climate crisis from emerging artists.

Tue 23 Sep – Sat 25 Oct 2025

Venue:
The Playground Theatre, London

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Book for the show and stay for Gateways events

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Post-show Events at the Theatre:

Panels

Storytelling in the Climate Era – Friday 3 October

Chaired by Feimatta Conteh, Senior Manager Environmental Responsibility, Arts Council England

A panel with a number of artists working in different mediums to try to address the Climate Crisis

This panel brings together:

  • David Finnigan – playwright, Scenes from the Climate Era

  • Dawn King – playwright, The Trials

  • Maia Kenworthy – director, Rebellion (a documentary about Extinction Rebellion)

  • Farah Ali – author of People Want to Live

Decolonising the Climate Era – Friday 10 October

Chaired by Shami Chakrabarti, Gate Chair

With this panel we are looking at Climate inequity, speaking with global majority activists here in the UK who are running grass roots projects that address the disproportionate impact that the Climate crisis will have on people in the Global south, and minoritised communities here in the UK. This panel includes

This panel explores climate inequity and the disproportionate impact of the crisis on the Global South and minoritised communities in the UK. Featuring:

  • Tayshan Hayden-Smith – footballer and gardening activist, founder of Grow to Know (established after Grenfell)

  • Raymon Ayres – Artistic Director of Ephemeral Theatre, developing work on colonialism and climate in Latin America

Conversations

As part of our Gateways programme, playwright David Finnigan will be in conversation with leading thinkers on climate and society.

With Simon Evans, Wednesday 15 October

Simon Evans is multi-award-winning climate and energy journalist at Carbon Brief. Their discussion will span UK climate policy and politics, global energy trends, and international climate negotiations.

With Ana Yang, Tuesday 21 October

Ana Yang is Director of the Environment and Society Centre at Chatham House. Together they will explore the intersections of socioeconomic development, climate transition, and natural resource use.

Post show events

Sunday 19th October | Scratch Event – ‘Emergency A Scratch response to Scenes from the Climate Era’ Scratch Event | Gate Theatre invites 6–8 emerging writers from global majority backgrounds to present short pieces of new writing that respond directly to the Climate Crisis. Directed by Grace Waga Glevey, the event will feature these new pieces performed by a professional cast and will conclude with an open discussion between writers and audiences on the play’s themes.  Click here to apply

Friday 24th October | Post-Show Performance and Q&A – Re-Indigenising The Stage with Love Ssega | For the last week of the run, artist, producer and performance artist, Love Ssega graces the stage for a post-show performance and Q&A, offering audiences an opportunity to engage with the themes in ‘Scenes from the Climate Era’ through different art mediums, and to gain insight into Love Ssega’s explorations of Blackness and the Climate emergency.