Fall Major Production is a ‘tapestry of ideas and actions’

Nothing Remains the Same explores the climate crisis through song, dance, story, puppetry and movement

By Sara Laux, Faculty of Humanities November 14, 2023

A performer holding a mic on the stage, with other cast members around them.
Nothing Remains the Same, the School of the Arts’ Fall Major Production, is an exploration of the climate crisis through song, dance, puppetry, story and movement.

Nothing Remains the Same, the School of the Arts’ Fall Major Production, is described as a “fungal tapestry of dance, music and story,” with ideas and actions woven together like the mycelium roots of woodland fungi.

That emphasis on nature is … well, natural. The play, directed by SOTA professor Peter Cockett and devised in collaboration with iArts and Theatre and Film students, is an exploration of the climate crisis through song, dance, puppetry, story and movement.

Taking inspiration from the works of Kendrick Lamarr, Octavia E. Butler and Adrienne Maree Brown, Nothing Remains the Same features performers with a range of talents, all of whom contributed collaboratively to the development of the final piece.

Puppets being manipulated by performers on stage
Nothing Remains the Same draws inspiration from the works of Kendrick Lamarr, Octavia E. Butler and Adrienne Maree Brown.

“The piece is our response to the climate crisis, especially the summer of 2023, which saw such devastating fires in so many places,” explains Cockett, who has directed or created more than 15 mainstage productions with McMaster students.

“This is our collective effort at imagining a better future and positive change.”

Performers on stage, with one winged performer in the spotlight.
Ideas and actions are woven together in Nothing Remains the Same, the School of the Arts’ Fall Major Production.

Nothing Remains the Same will be the first performance held in the newly named Lyons Family Studio, formerly the black box theatre. The studio is a performance, experimentation and research space that includes advanced lighting, sound and digital projection capabilities.

For more information and to get tickets to Nothing Remains the Same, go to the Showpass website.

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