As promised in their recent production updates, Shakespeare in Yosemite released a number of previews of their Cymbeline adaptation "Imogen in the Wild" on Earth Day. A total of eight videos now available on the Shakespeare in Yosemite Youtube channel offer a vivid look at the adaptation itself, along with its brilliant cast and settings. Today, Cymbeline in the Anthropocene explores the original music videos that underscore this production's ecological themes. 

On Twitter, singer and songwriter Cat Flores describes "Earth's Cry" as an eco-anthem; with its impassioned acoustic harmonies, this song is an explicit statement of the "Imogen in the Wild's" concern with local examples of climate change. The video opens with Bella Camfield reciting Titania's "climate change" speech from A Midsummer Night's Dream. The vocals performed by Flores, Camfield, Tonatiuh Newbold and Adelaide LaMont (Nic Koch) combine echoes of that speech with headlines about rising oceans and wildfires in California, coalescing in a commitment to healing the land. 

This second music video features singer and songwriter Tonatiuh Newbold performing a tender love ballad based on Postumus Leonatus' parting words with Imogen in Act 1, Scene 1. Shots of Newbold's performance are intercut with footage of Imogen and Leonatus (Leo, in this production) holding hands in a sunny field, and exchanging rings and bracelets as symbols of their love. 

Cymbeline's well-known and canonical song "Fear No More the Heat of the Sun" is adapted and performed by Rena Johnson. Sung a capella, the moving melody scores aerial footage of Imogen leaving her father's court and hiking into the mountains, becoming weary and preoccupied by thoughts of her banished husband. As the song progresses, we are shown footage of Belarius, Arviragus, and Guiderius navigating the mountainous landscape with awe in their expressions. The final shot of this music video shows Belarius and the two brothers building a fire with a new guest, Imogen. 

Finally, we have chosen to include this video of a speech given by Belarius (Lee Stetson). While not quite a music video, this poetic excerpt has Belarius channeling the production's ecological philosophy: he speaks of the beauty and healing of healthy ecosystems, the damages wrought by capitalist exploitation, and the agency of the land itself. 

Stay tuned--pun intended!--in the following weeks as we discuss more videos from the Shakespeare in Yosemite team, including excerpts from the first few acts of the play. As always, you can join the conversation by tagging us at @ecocymbeline, and Shakespeare in Yosemite at @yosemiteshakes on Twitter and Instagram, or use the hashtag #CymbelineAnthropocene on any platform.