Twin Cities students collab with Mixed Blood to merge theater with climate activism
In partnership with Minneapolis' Mixed Blood Theatre Company, students at Open World Learning School in St. Paul are learning about sustainability through the creation of an interactive play addressing the decisions people make and how they impact the environment.
Alejandro Tey, Mixed Blood's associate artistic director, describes "Upstream" as an immersive, participatory play about climate change.
"You're not sitting and watching a play on stage. You are entering the river. It's a big adventure we get to go on where the audience is necessary for the action to continue," Tey said.
Alyssa Vera Ramos, associate director of "Upstream," says characters will rely on the audience's help.
"Each group of 10 to 30 audience members is going to follow a main character around the school. There's many different storylines, but it's really fun to be able to follow those actors, and they're going to ask you for your help and finding clues and your advice," Ramos said.
Students have taken the reins of the production, working side by side with professionals from Mixed Blood.
"To see people have these ideas and have things that they want to express, and then bringing them to someone that can make it happen is really powerful, really, really cool idea," said student sustainability captain Margaret Moe.
From old milk jugs, to discarded fabric scraps, every material is put to a purpose for the production.
Mixed Blood brought in sustainability captain Sadie Ward to oversee the students' use of recycled materials. They are trying to break one of theatre's bad habits.
"When you start to really say, 'I know I'm going to throw this away at the end,' what is the most responsible way I can build this and still tell the story that I want to tell, but make sure that it doesn't all end up in the trash?" Ward said.
When the curtain rises on "Upstream," it won't just be the talent on stage that makes the show so unique. It will be the heart, the hands and the minds of these students, proving the next generation isn't just inheriting the world — they're actually shaping it.
"Upstream" will be at Open World Learning Community School from April 9 through April 26.
The school is still looking for materials, like denim, for their show. Find more information on their website.
