Whither Shall They Wander

Kinder Morgan may have just nixed the Northeast Energy Direct-Tennessee Gas pipeline, but proponents and protestors alike face a world of climate change challenges in the coming decades. Into this dire scene, enter Children of the Wild, the resident company at Double Edge Theatre in Ashfield. Originally founded in Minnesota as The Unseen Ghost Brigade, this traveling theatrical and cinematic troupe moved to Western Mass in 2012 to develop The Wastelands, a surreal, Dante-inspired performance that imagines “seven stages of ecological grief through music, movement, imagery, and local testimony … where audiences experience hidden connections between environmental ruin and social oppression.” In other words: the world’s going to hell (or at least Purgatorio) but that doesn’t mean we can’t find playful, creative ways of coming together through song, dance, and live performance. The Wastelands will tour for five months throughout New England and the Great Lakes region, and it all starts with three performances in Holyoke this week. Come see this operatic, musical eco-tribe off with a bang.

The Wastelands: April 29 at 5 p.m., April 30 at 5 p.m., and May 1 at 1 p.m. Free and open to the public. 384 Dwight St., Holyoke.

 — Hunter Styles