October 2, 2024 | Theatre,

Reimagining Futures at ArtsEmerson

In every season, ArtsEmerson strives to introduce audiences to shows that offer new perspectives on culture, climate, the past, and the future. The 2024-2025 season is no different, filled with incredible shows that look into the future to explore what our collective humanity may look like in the years to come. Among these shows is On the Eve of Abolition, a multimedia masterpiece that transports audiences to a future where prison abolitionists have created the conditions to end the prison industrial complex in the liberated lands formerly known as the U.S. and Mexico. To prepare for this revolutionary show, let’s take a look back at just a few past performances that examine future societies.

 

1. Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower (2017 & 2022)

Based on the classic Afro-futurist sci-fi novel, this hit musical performance chronicled the spiritual awakening of Lauren Olamina amidst an America plagued by the products of unrelenting greed, systemic injustice and climate change denial. Brought to life by Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon, Parable fused African-American spiritualism and climate activism into an experience that thrilled and inspired audiences across seasons,

2. When Angels Fall (2019)

This dark and entrancing theatrical performance by French creator and director Raphaëlle Boitel told the revoting tale of riveting tale of flightless angels surviving a global collapse, where the resilience of the human spirit is pitted against the sterile and mechanical. When one survivor refuses to settle into this bleak new universe, a rebellion ensues that threatens to turn a hopeless situation even worse. Boitel blended aerial circus, dance and cinema to bring this futuristic story to life and explore how the beauty of letting go gives us the strength we need to rise.

3. Out of Order (2021)

ArtsEmerson welcomed back fan favorites The 7 Fingers circus troupe in 2021 for their performance of Out of Order, a theatrical film that explored a stark future where artists are forced to secretly meet as contact has been forbidden and theaters emptied. In this show, ten gloved and masked characters from all walks of life come together, clinging to their pasts as acrobats while exploring themes of poverty, power, and pleasure.

4. Utopian Hotline (2025)

Coming to Boston, in partnership with the Museum of Science, at the end of ArtsEmerson’s 24/25 season is Utopian Hotline, an experimental performance begs the question: if we were to send another message into the  distant future, what message would we send? Part telephone hotline, part vinyl record, and part live performance, Utopian Hotline uses real voicemails left on a public hotline to create a moment of community — inviting audience members to re-imagine our shared future.

ArtsEmerson’s next exploration into the future takes place from October 31 – November 3 with On the Eve of Abolition. This performance runs for a limited time at the Emerson Paramount Center; tickets are still available so be sure to secure yours today online, over the phone, or in person at the box office.