We sat down with Ramon Ayres, director of UPROOTED. Raging against the machinery of colonial capitalism, UPROOTED is a tropical-punk, ecofeminist rallying cry inspired by the voices of displaced peoples and frontline environmental defenders. Get tickets here.
In meeting Latin American environmental defenders, what stories or encounters most profoundly shaped the vision for UPROOTED?
The idea of body-territory: a decolonial feminist concept that asserts the ontological unity of the body and territory, viewing the body as a territory and the territory as a living body. It encompasses biological, social, mental, and spiritual dimensions and is used to resist forms of violence.
The show calls itself a “tropical-punk, ecofeminist rallying cry” — how do you translate that urgency and rebellion into physical theatre on stage?
Through a whirlwind of dynamic live music, energetic physical theatre and striking images. We rely on playfulness to essentialize the emotional depth of the piece.
Chico Mendes said, “Environmentalism without class struggle is gardening” — how does that idea resonate through the piece?
The piece focuses on the people. People who are protecting the environment for everyone. In 2022, Global Witness stated that Latin America is the most dangerous place for environmental and land defenders, one person is killed every other day. We felt the urge to talk about this.
How do you navigate honouring real frontline voices while creating a theatrical language that is both poetic and political?
We are committed to honouring those voices throughout our process, it is an ongoing relationship to honour these people. This relationship is interwoven into our process, in the way we make the work. We create a long relationship with them, through on going conversations, we ask permission to them, we get back to them, we share the work and hear their thoughts. We articulate an artistic response in a sensitive way. It takes us a while to craft it.
What role do you see for ecofeminism in reframing narratives of climate justice and resistance in Latin America and beyond?
To answer that we would like to paraphrase Vandana Shiva: The desire for domination is so highly praised in comparison to care, that becomes suicidal for humanity.
After REWIND’s international success, what new artistic risks or directions did you want to take with UPROOTED?
Independent of previous projects and how they have been received, we always concentrate on being truthful to what we want to say.