Atlantis review – Welsh climate crisis drama is a parable for our times

Theatr Clwyd in Mold premiered Emily White's play "Atlantis" this week, a drama inspired by the real-life situation of Fairbourne, a coastal village in Gwynedd, Wales. In 2014, Fairbourne's residents learned their local council deemed maintaining sea defenses untenable, initiating a "managed retreat" plan that would see the village abandoned to rising sea levels by 2055. Although the play does not name Fairbourne, it dramatizes the experiences of a fictional coastal community, focusing on fisherman Bryn and his wife Gwen. The narrative spans from 2011 to 2039, depicting the unfolding impact of climate change on both the environment and the community's social fabric. White's play uses this real-world scenario as a parable for the broader climate crisis, exploring themes of displacement and the breakdown of societal structures in the face of environmental upheaval. The initial timeline for Fairbourne's abandonment has seen shifts and disputes, but the play captures the essence of this impending climate refugee crisis.