Imagine a world with no winter.
That’s the hypothetical scenario Logan audiences will experience at the upcoming production of The End of Winter, a play written by Australian playwright Noëlle Janaczewska, at the Kingston Butter Factory.
The one-woman play explores a not-too-distant future in which winter has become extinct – replaced by a never-ending summer.
Australian actor Jane Phegan, the sole star of the show, said the play was a story of loss and resilience.
“It posits the question: what if the seasons didn’t exist anymore? What does that mean to you personally, whether you’re a summer or winter lover, what would you lose?” Ms Phegan said.
“Even if you’re a summer lover, you’re probably not going to love summer as much if you’ve never experienced anything other than that.
“That love stems from the joy of coming in and out of the seasons, and it gives us the perspective and the balance to enjoy the different ones.”
Ms Phegan said her character was called the “Lover of Winter”.
“She loves winter – it’s where she feels most alive,” she said.
And although it explores the very real consequences of climate change, Ms Phegan said, the play doesn’t just recite alarming statistics to the audience.
“It explores climate change through a personal – a caring and connected way – rather than a statistical, scientific way, which is of course valuable,” she said.
“So much of Australia has been adversely affected by severe weather events in the last few years, as well as having Covid on top of that.
“It doesn’t matter where you are, you know someone or you have a connection to what’s happened, even if you weren’t in the thick of it yourself.
“I think we’re all really attuned to it at this point in time, because it’s so severe and frequent.”
Ms Phegan said that, beyond its exploration of the climate, the play touched on the human condition.
“There are other beautiful universal issues that are delved into, like the loss of a parent, which most people face, and so there’s many things to ruminate on and to share,” she said.
“It asks us: what do we face losing if we don’t take action? But it’s very much a story of hope.
It integrates a sense of joy and pleasure in these different environments and climates, and of the world.”
