There is ‘No Planet B.’ We need to learn to work together to take care of the Earth.

Season 11 of Sum Theatre’s Theatre in the Park is blasting off into outer space in search of a new place to live in Zero Gravity.

“There’s no greater issue than how our world is changing right now,” says co-director Mackenzie Dawson. “We all see it in the seasons, the weather and even in Theatre in the Park as we’ve had to learn to deal with climate change performing outdoors.”

Zero Gravity follows Dr. Einstein Reez as he tries to save his children and civilization by building a spaceship in his garage. The plan, to send the young explorers on a mission to find a new place to live. Dean Stockdale plays Phoenix, a neighbourhood kid who talks their way onto the ship. For Stockdale, this performance is personal.

Dean Stockdale and Jesse Fulcher-Gagnon blast off in search of a new planet to live in Zero Gravity. (Britainy Zapshalla)

“This play is a way for me to do something, to get people talking about it and to give people hope for the future.”

“My climate anxiety is at a six out of ten all the time. It weights heavy on a lot of people my age. I feel it in my bones,” Stockdale explains. “For me, this play is a way for me to do something, to get people talking about it and to give people hope for the future.”

Theatre in the Park has become an annual tradition, providing FREE, professional, live theatre to families throughout the province. Zero Gravity will have the original story, live music, giant puppets and crowd participation that audiences love. The tour will visit neighbourhood parks across Saskatchewan over the next two months. Everyone is welcome. No tickets necessary, just a blanket or a lawnchair.

“Every couple of days we visit Value Village, Salvation Army and the Re-store looking for things we can repurpose.”

The design team. Conor Farrel, Jensine Emeline and Taegan O’Bertos (l-r) working their magic with repurposed items. (Britainy Zapshalla)

Designing a show like this is not for the faint of heart. Sets, costumes and props have to withstand the elements, nearly two months of travel and stay true to the environmental themes in the show. Taegan O’Bertos is one of the designers and compares her team’s work to a scavenger hunt.

“We really wanted to reuse and recycle as much as possible. Every couple of days we visit Value Village, Salvation Army and the Re-store looking for things we can repurpose,” O’Bertos says. “Weird things that are bright, colourful, waterproof; going outside the box and thinking, ‘What can I make this into?’”

With a little theatre magic old hockey pads transform into giant puppets, collapsible laundry hampers mutate into aliens and an old electric golf cart is revamped into a spaceship.

“I love watching the kids’ faces light up as they watch the show,” says O’Bertos. “When they recognize an object, ‘That’s an umbrella, that’s a pogo stick!’. It inspires them to look at what they already have lying around that could become something new.”

“We all need to look at a more sustainable path forward,” says Dawson. “Theatre in the Park is designed to bring community together and get us all talking about our collective future.”