Conclusion

Conclusions and continuations 

Tanja Beer writes, “[t]he ‘ecological turning’ is a pivotal point in the history of the performing arts, to be defined by the theatre makers of today, but particularly by those of tomorrow.”^[1] At present, many institutions are failing to prepare students not only for professional practice, but more troublingly, to responsibly respond to the climate and nature emergency. “[t]he ‘ecological turning’ is a pivotal point in the history of the performing arts, to be defined by the theatre makers of today, but particularly by those of tomorrow.” As critical education studies scholars and members of the Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures collective note, much mainstream education re-entrenches violent and unsustainable relations, and disavows complicity in past harm, responsibilities to repair the harm in the present, the costs of one’s desired futures for other people and the planet.^[2] This guidebook is written for an audience of theatre educators with the intention of supporting a significant shift in the culture of pedagogy in our training institutions. Many of the changes will also enable a meaningful and impactful community-engagement that also expands beyond theatre to a multi-sectoral arts community. We look forward to seeing how this develops in the coming years. The commitment to ecological thought and adoption of curriculum and practices that work towards fostering environmental stewardship in theatre and performance training programs is essential. Such shifts are necessary for theatre to remain “a contemporary and relevant art form.”^[3]