what number do i call?

Hello, emergency service operator; which service do you require?
Hi… What number do I call for a climate emergency?

What number do I call?  Is a new devised performance, which examines the effects of climate change through the eyes of 19 students from the Mena region and beyond. It will be a funny, thoughtful and provocative piece that questions our assumptions and challenges us to do better.

Most of the time, when we consider the Middle East in relation to the climate emergency, we discuss it in terms of being a fossil fuel exporting region with high air conditioning and desalination usage. But behind the cliché is a region at the sharp end of the climate emergency. As the UAE prepares to host COP 28, we create an original piece of work, documenting the experience of climate change in their daily lives and for their compatriots.

The piece will explore ecodramaturgy principles in form and content, asking questions about the materials we use in the production process alongside the materials we use in devising. Drawing on verbatim interviews, personal data, climate science and historical documents, we will create a multi-lingual piece of contemporary performance which gives voice to the regional youth and addresses common misconceptions about their lived experience.

Director: Matt Ball

Set & Costume Designer: Lina Younes

Lighting designer: Murtaja Alhumaidi