A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction
26-29 Apr 2023

Katie Mitchell/Headlong/Barbican
Barbican Theatre

Lydia West in A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction
Lydia West in A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction

Miranda Rose Hall’s darkly funny, life-affirming show starring Lydia West is directed by Katie Mitchell. This is a bold experiment in eco theatre-making, created with the leading touring company Headlong.

Naomi is part of a theatre company who have made a play, especially for you, those living through extinction, but the actors haven’t shown up yet. In the meantime, Naomi has a plan.

This innovative one-woman show takes us on a life-changing journey to confront the urgent ecological disaster that is unfolding around us. Part ritual, part battle cry, and powered entirely by bicycles, this fiercely feminist production is a moving exploration of what it means to be human in this era of man-made extinction.

Sharing learning from Europe, Headlong presents Katie Mitchell’s innovative touring model, the first of its kind in the UK, which sees a play tour, while the people and materials do not. 

It forms part of a ground-breaking international experiment in reimagining theatre in a climate crisis.

NEED TO KNOW: A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction is at the Barbican Theatre from 26-29 Apr 2023