Come Along for the Ride: a journey through climate grief

Apr 23

Climate play delivers humor and hope that are inspiring in the face of timely issues

[Chicago, June 2025] Come Along for the Ride: a journey through climate grief is a timely play that opened on March 1 to a full house at the Atlas Performing Arts Center as part of their 2025 INTERSECTIONS Festival. The play follows the lives of two women navigating life with climate anxiety. One character, Sophie, is a millennial woman living her best life in New York City while also dealing with the challenges of modern dating and climbing the corporate ladder. The other character, a pregnant Mari, is an immigrant that traces her migration story to climate change and is terrified of the world into which she is about to bring her child.

The play follows the journey of the women as it toggles between 2024 and a dystopian 2074.

Eco.Logic’s Executive Director Rozina Kanchwala made her playwriting debut in 2019 with Love in the Time of Climate Change, a climate comedy inspired by her own life. Now, with her sophomore play, she continues to explore the emotional landscape of the climate crisis along with several intersecting issues. “Theater allows me to blend humor with raw emotion to explore complex issues without feeling overbearing,” says Kanchwala. “This play gives voice to the anxieties that so many of us experience and creates space to process those anxieties, while finding solace in each other and ultimately envisioning a future where we can thrive in an uncertain world.”

Directed by Iris Sowlat, a Chicago-based director whose work explores socially relevant themes, Sowlat says, “I’m excited about directing this play because it takes a fresh, accessible look at the issues of climate change in a way that comprehensively covers both the everyday individual impact we have as well as the impact of larger corporations - and it’s an engaging, often hilarious story about friendship and personal struggles with high stakes and a good dollop of humor. The story really brings the immediacy of these issues home and shows how they impact our lives.”

In line with the theme of the play, the production is committed to environmentally conscious practices. Set designer Alyssa Mohn has constructed the set using recycled materials sourced from EcoShip, a nonprofit committed to landfill diversion. All props and costumes are sourced secondhand or made to minimize waste and highlight sustainable, creative circularity.

Come Along for the Ride covers a lot in 90 minutes and has elements of lightness, humor, and hope that are needed for this moment. Commiserate, laugh, and build community at the play, coming to the Raven Theatre in Chicago, IL June 26-29, 2015. The play is produced by Eco.Logic, an environmental education nonprofit that uses art to inspire environmental action.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: https://www.raventheatre.com/stage/eco-logic/