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Earth Matters on Stage 2025 - 2026

Earth Matters on Stage 2025 - 2026

The Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts is hosting the EMOS Ecodrama Playwrights' Festival and Symposium in March 2026. The winning play, Acute Exposure by August Hakvaag, will be produced as part of the department's mainstage season. The Plume by Maggie Kearnan, the second-place script, will receive a staged reading during the symposium.

Earth Matters on Stage (EMOS) was founded by Theresa May and Larry Fried in 2004. EMOS is a consortium of artists, educators, activists, and scholars who believe that theatre and the performing arts must respond to the environmental crisis. EMOS calls forth and fosters new dramatic work and performances that help us re-imagine our human place in a more-than-human world.

At the heart of EMOS is the Ecodrama New Play Contest, which calls playwrights and theatre makers to engage in the global and local ecological issues that face societies across cultures.

The concurrent EMOS Symposium fosters dialogue about the intersection of environment, culture, and performance.

The festival is co-chaired by graduate students Joshua Lewis and Paitton Lewis

August Hakvaag (they/them) is a butch theatre artist currently based in Philadelphia. They received a BA in Theatre, and are currently pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies, from Temple University. They have worked internationally as an actor, director, and playwright. They are a Princess Grace Fellowship Award semi-finalist, a Susan Smith Blackburn Prize nominee, and a proud member of the Ring of Keys Collective. Highlights include working with Moxie Arts NY, The Palace Collective, Philadelphia Young Playwrights, The Twenty Sided Tavern, Impulse Control Freaks, Richmond Triangle Players, Tokyo International Players, and Aporia Artists Collective, of which they are a founding member. Most recently, their immersive piece A Seance for Mae West enjoyed a sold out run at the Hot Bed Art Studio in Philadelphia. Currently, they can be heard on the award-winning podcast Wing Women as Nino. They are finishing their second year of the PlayPenn Foundry program, where they are working on a play about superconductive electricity.

2018 Rain and Zoe Save the World by Crystal Skillman

2015 Thirst by MEH Lewis and Anita Chandwaney

2012 Sila by Chantal Bilodeau

2009 Song of Extinction by EM Lewis

2004 Odin's Horse by Rob Koon

The Short North Arts District, located south of Ohio State, is a great place for dining and shopping. This trendy neighborhood also has several hotels and art galleries.

If you're looking to stay on campus, you can do so at Ohio State's very own Blackwell Inn.

Another nearby option, Springhill Suites, has a complimentary shuttle to campus.

There are several restaurants and hotels near the Shops on Lane Avenue.

Symposium Schedule

2:30 - 4:30pm
"Lost Waters - Virtual Reality Event"
Location TBD

Noon - 5:00pm
"Professional Practices"
Presenter: Molly Braverman
Location: Virtual

5:00 - 7:00pm
Eco-Film Screening
Location: Screening Room (TFM 380)

7:30pm
Acute Exposure
Location: Blackbox Theatre

7:30pm
The Plume
Location: Multipurpose Theatre Lab (TFM 435)

10:00 - 11:00am
"Sustainability in Design"
Presenter: Ian Garrett
Location: TFM 280

11:00 - noon
"Vanishing Horizons Presentation"
Presenter: Sanyam Bajaj
Location: TFM 210

11:00 - noon
"When Water and Oil Mix: A Thirst for the EcoGothic as Ecodramaturgy
Presenter: Kelly Richmond
Location: 

12:30 - 2:00pm
"Using Climate Change Theatre Action Plays in the Classroom and Beyond
Presenter: Chantal Bilodeau
Location: 

2:00 - 3:30pm
"Ecodramaturgy in Practice: A Roundtable on Developing and Performing Climate Stories"
Presenter: Arden Thomas
Location: TFM 215

3:30 - 5:30pm
"Playwriting Workshop"
Presenter: August Haakvag
Location: TFM 210

7:30pm
Acute Exposure
Location: Blackbox Theatre

7:30pm
The Plume
Location: Multipurpose Theatre Lab (TFM 435)

11:00 - 12:30pm
"Kinship Dramaturgies: Site, Spirit, and Sensation in Eco-Theatre Creation
Presenter: Lydia Fort
Location: 

1:00 - 2:00pm
"Creating with Care: Practices for an Earth-Guided Life
Presenter: Natlia Martinez-Sagan
Location: 

3:00pm
Acute Exposure
Location: Blackbox Theatre

7:30pm
The Plume
Multipurpose Theatre Lab (TFM 435)