XR SFBay is a wonderfully creative organization that is passionate about climate activism. Our Street Theater Working Group seeks to expose the different forces at work behind the climate crisis through myth, drama and symbolic action. The troupe has a number of “characters” and performances which come out for marches, rallies, government meetings, public events and more. To get involved, mail us at theater@xrsfbay.org.

Five characters walk down the street in San Francisco, wearing masks and grey hazmat suits

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Lamentors

The Lamentors express the collective grief, fear and anxiety we all hold in a world increasingly buffeted by climate catastrophe. They are dressed as mourners, in “sack cloth and ashes.” Their signs, pinned front and back, bear witness to the calamities of drought, fire and flood, brought on by fossil-fueled climate chaos. Head bent, eyes downcast, they move silently through the crowd.

Lamentors stand behind speaker at a board meeting

Lamentors blockade a street

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Dolores

Dolores is a 9-foot tall Lamentor puppet, dressed in the same costume as her smaller compatriots. Her face and hands are created from paper maché, her structure is built around a backpack frame, Strapped into the frame, the puppeteer can be seen through the burlap. As her arms open to welcome the crowd, Dolores draws eyes, cameras and attention to the Lamentors, encouraging people to come over and check out the action.

Large puppet dressed in burlap held by two Lamentors

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Engager

The Lamentors raise awareness of the climate crisis. But the Engager takes the next step, inspiring our audience to get involved in climate action. Unlike Lamentors who are silent and still, the Engager interacts with the audience, reminding them that the grief, fear and anxiety expressed by the Lamentors is only the first step. “Action is the Antidote to Anxiety. Come join us!” She then hands out a 5x7, glossy card with photos of creative and fun climate actions, and points out the QR Codes that show how you can become a climate activist.

Engager hands our flyers to group picnicking on a blanket

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Absurdist Street Theater

This team has developed poignant and hilarious sketches which are presented at climate actions and beyond. A crowd gathers and is invited to join in the show.

Here are a few Absurdist plays:

Greenwashing Bankers PowerPoint Two “Bankers” pretend to come out of Wells Fargo to explain what good guys they are. But photos of their “green” initiatives quickly devolve into pictures of forest fires. Finally the Bankers are boo’d off stage.

The Marriage from Hell A wedding ceremony between Exxon and CitiBank, officiated by the Devil, points out how bank financing makes pipeline construction possible.

Alternative Monopoly As Monopoly Man rolls a giant dice, a Banker counts out squares depicting climate killing pipeline projects but also renewable windmills. What should the bank fund? Climate chaos or a green economy? The wrong decision can land the Banker in jail.

Character dressed in mustache and "Monopoly" sash holds a large cartoon die in front of Wells Fargo

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Puppeteers

Froggy jumps out of a pot of boiling water. A Purple Dragon is interviewed by a TV reporter. A lush Kelp Forest, in turquoise and emerald hues, floats gently down like a curtain with Salmon swimming through the fronds. These remarkable puppets spark our imagination, reminding us of the need to protect our planet.

Youth and adults stand in a plaza holding blue and green banners and painted salmon

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Xtractors

The dystopian character of the “Xtractor” represents the systemic greed of predatory, extractive capitalism. Dressed in gas masks and grey hazmat suits, the Xtractors roam through the world, seeking new resources to exploit. Their costumes bear the logo of a skull being fracked and their mantra is: “Extract, Consume, Deny.” Xtractors move in a staccato, robotic and glitchy manner, as if something inside or around them is unraveling or imploding. But behind their gas masks and mechanical behavior is a desperate, suffering human core.

Click this video link to see the Xtractors in action

Xtractors dressed in grey hazmat suits stand on a beach with a black flag

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Glammonites

“Glam” (extravagantly showy fashion) + “Mammon” (false god of greed and material wealth) = “Glammonite.”

Wearing metallic face makeup and flashy-trashy outfits, the Glammonites represent materialism, consumerism and the delusion that shiny new things will bring us happiness. They fixate on each others’ gold tuxedo jackets and fake fur coats, “Omigod! Where did you get that?! I want that!” Encouraging each other to buy, buy, buy, “Shopping is patriotic!” they ignore the reality that our planet cannot sustain the current level of resource extraction that modern consumerism is based on.

Two Glammonites in glittery outfits dance in front of a statue

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Get Involved

For more information about XR SF Bay’s theatrical troupes, reach out and drop us an email at theater@xrsfbay.org.