In the midst of climate catastrophe-a warming rate twice the global average, raging wildfires, surging floods-the Canadian addiction to pipelines and oil sands exploitation remains unchecked. The spectacle of a settler colony desperately turning more oil into state revenue, while ravaging Indigenous lands and simultaneously preaching environmental sustainability, could inspire a dark sort of laughter: catastrophe as camp. But could the ridiculousness of our predicament foster new forms of inter-species intimacy and collective transformation? This is the wager taken by Bears, a production by playwright/director Matthew MacKenzie and Alberta's Punctuate! Theatre which has toured widely since 2018. The play tells the story of Floyd, a Cree-Métis pipeline worker who finds himself on the run from the Mounties after committing an act of sabotage. Floyd narrates his westward escape in collaboration with a chorus of eight dancers who transform into the flora and fauna alongside the Trans-Mountain pipeline route: prairie gophers, berry patches, orcas, and grizzlies. Black light, shifting video projections and electronic beats provide a backdrop as Floyd, in his flight from the state, slowly finds himself turning into a bear. With the help of his Mama, a protective figure who moves freely about the stage, Floyd eventually manages to wipe off the oil that has obscured his connection with his ancestors and with the land. Yet Floyd's journey is not an escape into a romantic ‘nature’ or a commodified Indigenous spirituality. As Floyd moves through devastated landscapes, the chorus animates a black-light vision of our collective future, and calls for solidarity between humans and other beings. Can we find a way to stand together for justice, as the play exhorts us, within a dark mess of our own making?

中文翻译：

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黑光生态

在气候灾难中——升温速度是全球平均水平的两倍，野火肆虐，洪水泛滥——加拿大对管道和油砂开采的依赖仍未得到遏制。一个殖民者拼命将更多的石油转化为国家收入，同时破坏土著土地并同时宣扬环境可持续性的奇观可能会激发一种阴暗的笑声：灾难就像营地。但是，我们困境的荒谬性能否促进新的物种间亲密关系和集体转型？这是由剧作家/导演 Matthew MacKenzie 和 Alberta's Punctuate 制作的 Bears 的赌注！自 2018 年以来广泛巡回演出的剧院。该剧讲述了弗洛伊德的故事，弗洛伊德是一名克里-梅蒂斯管道工人，他在实施破坏行为后发现自己正在逃离骑警。弗洛伊德与八位舞者合作讲述了他向西逃亡的故事，这些舞者在跨山管道路线旁变成了动植物：草原地鼠、浆果斑块、逆戟鲸和灰熊。黑光、移动的视频投影和电子节拍提供了背景，弗洛伊德在逃离该州的途中慢慢发现自己变成了一只熊。在他的妈妈的帮助下，弗洛伊德是一位在舞台上自由移动的保护人物，最终设法擦掉了阻碍他与祖先和土地联系的油污。然而，弗洛伊德的旅程并不是逃离浪漫的“自然”或商品化的土著精神。当弗洛伊德穿过被毁坏的景观时，合唱团为我们集体的未来描绘了一个黑光愿景，并呼吁人类与其他生物之间的团结。