Bringing Climate Change Center Stage: Caltech Community Members Present EARTH DATA / THE MUSICAL
From November 1–3, Theater Arts at Caltech (TACIT) will present EARTH DATA / THE MUSICAL on campus, an original show featuring community members from the Caltech campus and JPL. The fictional science-driven production draws upon research by JPL climate scientists, a vibrant score, and a story co-created by the writers, scientists, and cast members themselves. The production was inspired by JPL's Blended Worlds project for Getty's PST ART: Art & Science Collide event, and is one of several projects at Caltech this fall as part of the regional art and science offering.
The musical follows Mab, a young postdoctoral researcher (played by fourth-year Caltech undergraduate Maria Azcona Baez) and her uncle JJ (played by JPL flight systems engineer Joey Jefferson), who are both climate scientists at the "Consilience Institute" research laboratory. When Mab makes a groundbreaking discovery that implicates the "Balsurab Energy" corporation, she is called before Congress to testify on climate change and defend the integrity of her research.
EARTH DATA / THE MUSICAL was developed collaboratively by Caltech community members over several months. Led by TACIT and EARTH DATA / THE MUSICAL director Brian Brophy, participants joined a series of workshops beginning in October 2023 to brainstorm ideas and generate the show's plot and characters.
"We started by developing viewpoints of the group in relation to nature and the changing environment in the world," Brophy says. "Undergrads Arabella Camunez, Karen Shekyan, Maria Azcona Baez, and Damian Wilson were the first ones to build the groundwork for the musical. We would improvise and find interactions between the players. Then, Emily Shisko, one of the composers and the music director, improvised melodies with feedback from the group, leading to dynamic compositions that improved over the year."
Azcona Baez says the story started to solidify in the beginning of 2024, and she and Jefferson assumed the lead roles, which were then shaped around different aspects of their identities.
"The reason why the two leads in the show are called ‘Mab' and ‘JJ' is because those are the initials of me [Maria Azcona Baez] and Joey Jefferson,' Azcona Baez says. "Mab is essentially me, but since I play a postdoc in the show, it's 10 years down the line. There are certain opinions that Mab holds that I don't, and vice versa, but some of the character's experiences are based on my own, so it hits pretty close to home."
Azcona Baez says her Dominican heritage is also reflected in Mab's character. "Since I am Latina, Mab became Latina, and I actually speak Spanish throughout the show," Azcona Baez says. "I am grateful that I can bring some of my culture into it specifically because in California you don't see a lot of Dominicans."
During the workshops, Brophy invited Cole Remmen, a theater professional who co-wrote and composed previous original musicals produced by TACIT including Boldly Go! and From the Earth to the Moon, to further develop the show. Together, Remmen, Brophy, and Shisko helped codify the emerging story elements and musical ideas into a script and score.
"Because the show was co-created with the cast, I think they have a real sense of ownership of it," Remmen says. "There were moments in rehearsal where they would do some improv exercise and come up with an idea, and then a few weeks later we [the writers] were like, ‘Oh, here's a whole subplot now that's based around this one line that you happened to improvise!'"
That feedback loop continued throughout the production process, leading to a final product that reflects the collective experiences of the cast. The show also portrays science in a distinct leading role, informed by the engagement of scientific advisors from JPL. The data that shapes EARTH DATA / THE MUSICAL is drawn from the research of two JPL climate scientists: Bradley Gay, who studies the effect of permafrost thaw on atmospheric carbon levels, and Kimberley Rain Miner, who researches the impacts of climate change on the Arctic.
The cast and writers took inspiration for the show from the data, research stories, fieldwork, and even personal videos and photos from the climate scientists, which will be incorporated in the multimedia stage elements of EARTH DATA / THE MUSICAL. Miner and Gay also reviewed the script for scientific accuracy.
"This show is special in that it disrupts the conventionality of musical theater," Brophy says. "We have an analytical, rational mode in our mind, and then there's a whole other side, which is the aesthetic and intuitive side. Within this show, we are bringing the intellect and the intuitive together and creating a space for the moral imagining of who we are and what we can become."
Three performances of EARTH DATA / THE MUSICAL will be held in Ramo Auditorium at Caltech:
Friday, November 1 at 8 p.m.
Including preshow reception at 7:15 p.m. honoring science advisors Kimberley Rain Miner and Bradley Gay
Saturday, November 2 at 8 p.m.
Including preshow reception at 7:15 p.m. honoring donors and friends of TACIT
Sunday, November 3 at 3 p.m.
Followed by postshow discussion of the experimental production process and an audience Q&A