The Solutions Grassroots Tour, an interactive music, theater, and film event, will begin its New York run on Sunday, September 21st through Friday, September 26th at Brooklyn’s Irondale Center. It’s a new multi-media performance piece that tells the story of a town ravaged by the exploitative cycle of fossil fuel production. This innovative play was conceived and directed by filmmaker and activist Josh Fox, the Oscar nominated & Emmy winning director of Gasland & Gasland II, the documentaries that heightened public awareness & protest of fracking.   The play aims to motivate communities to adopt renewable energy solutions and encourage them to campaign for pro-renewable energy legislation.

“This is about doing something positive for our towns and our neighbors. The renewable energy future is here now, and we have created this play to bring this incredible organizing and economic opportunity directly to communities” – Josh Fox

Herbie Go, a Filipino actor, theater director, and drama teacher, is one of 20 actors from the International WOW Company (Drama Desk-nominated creators of “Surrender,” “The Bomb,” and “Reconstruction”) performing in The Solutions Grassroots Tour. This will be Herbie’s third production with the theater troupe.

We met up with Herbie at Habana Outpost in Fort Greene, Brooklyn one Saturday to discuss his involvement with The Solutions Grassroots Tour and what they hope to accomplish with this interactive event.

Armie: So, Herbie, tell us about this event on September 21st.

Herbie: It’s called The Solutions Grassroots Tour, it’s an interactive play that depicts a small town destroyed by fossil fuel exploitation that is rebuilding itself from the ground up. It was conceived by Josh Fox who directed Gasland. It starts out with a family in the Mid-West whose lives are torn by the fracking industry…members of the audience are taken along for the ride and at critical moments in the plot, they have a chance to participate in the telling of the story.

Armie: Tell us a little about your character in the play.

Herbie: Well, actually, I play several characters in this play: a legal representative of a gas company, a townsperson, a New York drag queen, and a village chief in the Philippines. Through each character we not only tell the story of the negative consequences of fracking, drilling and climate change but we also present possible solutions.

Armie: So, the show sort of combines culture and grassroots organizing…

Herbie: Yeah, it’s a different kind of theater and we hope to create a powerful tool to change communities and our nation’s beliefs when it comes to renewable energy.

Armie: How did you get involved with The Solutions Grassroots Tour?

Herbie: Well, I’ve been working with the International WOW company for quite some time. I met Josh Fox in 2002 in Tokyo, Japan. I was still living in the Philippines and I was invited to join a collaborative project sponsored by the Setagaya Public Theater in Tokyo. It was this big multi-cultural collaboration with 16 Asian directors and playwrights and 1 from the U.S.; Josh Fox represented the U.S. When I moved to New York City, I called up Josh and told him that I was in town and so we started working together again. This is my third production with Josh and The International WOW Company.

Armie: This play touches a little bit on Typhoon Haiyan, were any of your family members or friends affected?

Herbie: This November will mark a year since Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines…Haiyan stripped the Philippines physically of homes, villages, & people, this play shows a glimpse of that. I was in New York City when it happened and my family are all in Manila so they weren’t directly affected but some of my friends were in the devastated areas…just the sheer destruction was eye opening. There’s a point when you realize that enough is enough.

Armie: How do you think the Philippines has recovered since Typhoon Haiyan?

Herbie: Very well, Filipinos are resilient by nature because we’ve been through a lot so it didn’t surprise me that the provinces affected bounced right back…Most people in the affected areas received the aid that they needed but there were a lot of logistical issues that prevented some from getting theirs. There was also a lot of political finger pointing which slowed down the relief efforts…but through it all the Filipino citizens stayed strong and will continue to stay strong…that’s just how we are.

Armie: According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report, Haiyan could just be the beginning of more natural disasters. Do you agree?

Herbie: Absolutely, Typhoons in the Asia are getting stronger by the season and I really believe it has a lot to do with global warming and environmental factors…Asia gets hit by roughly around 20 typhoons a year and the Philippines takes the worst beating because it’s an Archipelago. The typhoons are getting more and more destructive and that can’t be ignored any longer.

Armie: It seems that the climate change issue is complex and will require sustained efforts from both citizens and legislators but can you tell us what you think is the best solution?

Herbie: Well, for one thing, we should seriously consider switching to renewable energy.

On Sunday, September 21st, Herbie and the International WOW Company along with Josh Fox will be participating in the People’s Climate March, the largest climate march in history.

“This is an invitation to change everything.
In September, world leaders are coming to New York City for a UN summit on the climate crisis. UN Secretary­ General Ban Ki-­moon is urging governments to support an ambitious global agreement to dramatically reduce global warming pollution.

With our future on the line and the whole world watching, we’ll take a stand to bend the course of history. We’ll take to the streets to demand the world we know is within our reach: a world with an economy that works for people and the planet; a world safe from the ravages of climate change; a world with good jobs, clean air and water, and healthy communities.” -The People’s Climate March

Everyone is encouraged to join the march. After the march, check out Herbie Go and the International WOW Ensemble in The Solutions Grassroots Tour at the Irondale Center in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. The show will feature over 20 actors & dancers, live video installation, a world-class seven-piece band, and renewable energy power provided by solar panels on site. In addition, guest hosts include Debra Winger, Phylicia Rashad, Sandra Steingraber, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Yarrow, Bill McKibben, and Nakho Bear.                              

 – Armie Mariano

BUY TICKETS HERE: www.solutionsgrassroots.com September 21st – September 26th 7:30pm Irondale Center 85 S. OXFORD ST BROOKLYN, NY 11217

Tickets are $20 or $.99 if you pledge to switch your power provider to Ethical Electric.

Co-sponsored by Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Food & Water Watch, Frack Action, The Mother’s Project, New Yorkers Against Fracking, Sane Energy Project and United For Actions

Created by and featuring the International WOW Company: Carrie Getman, Herbie Go, Doug Chapman, Beth Griffith, Brandon Smith, Broderick Clavery, Sheree Campbell, John Fenton, Jessica Hadju-Nemeth, Olivia Ross, Sarah Keyes, Cody Jordan, Noelia Antweiler, Malin Barr, Margot Bennet, Rebecca Goldstein, Ali Andre Ali, Jane Zaine, Zach Signore, Guy Eckstine, Nick Anderson, Robert Granata, Julian Smith, Omar A Little, Vanessa Bley, Stuart Mathewsman, Josh Fox

Profiles:

JOSH FOX Hailed by the New York Times as “one of the most adventurous impresarios of the New York avant-garde” Josh Fox founded International WOW Company in 1996, a theater and film group with membership of over 100 actors, dancers, musicians, technical, and visual artists spanning 30 countries on 4 continents. With International WOW Company he has conceived, written, directed, and/or produced over 30 productions in New York City, Thailand, Indonesia, The Philippines, Japan and Germany which have included RECONSTRUCTION, SURRENDER (2009 Drama Desk Nomination) You Belong To Me, Death of Nations Part V, “Heimwehen”, Limitless Joy, The Expense of Spirit; The BOMB (one of the first major plays to address 9/11 and the war on terror from the point of view of New Yorkers who experienced it); HyperReal America and the explosively controversial 2009 feature film “Memorial Day.” His extensive work in Asia includes productions at Tokyo’s Setagaya Public Theater, The New National Theater of Japan, the Cultural Center of the Philippines and at theaters throughout Thailand. In the Fall of 2005, Josh was the Francis Ann Cannon Artist-in-Residence at Sarah Lawrence College. He has conducted guest lectures at the Yale School of Drama, New York University, SUNY Purchase and at numerous universities in the US and abroad. Josh is currently in final production of the film “Gas Land” a documentary about toxic natural gas drilling in the USA (www.waterunderattack.com)

HERBIE GO is a Filipino actor, theater director and drama teacher. He graduated cum laude with a degree in Theater Arts from the University of the Philippines. From 1990–1994, he trained as an actor with the prestigious Actors’ Company of Tanghalang Pilipino (TP), the resident theater company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. With TP, he appeared in more than two-dozen productions. He was also a Theater Arts Instructor at the Philippine High School for the Arts, a specialized public school for the artistically gifted youth (1997-2006). He rejoined TP in 2002 to become the company’s Artistic Director. Most notable of his productions are R’meo Luvs Dew-lhiett (a Filipino adaptation of Shakespeare’s play), Capek’s R.U.R., Pirandello’s It Is So! (If You Think So), and Shakespeare’s Tempest and Antony and Cleopatra. He was one of the 16 Asian theater directors who collaborated in the Asian Contemporary Theater Project under the Setagaya Public Theater in Tokyo, Japan.