This Is Not A Trial
Let us make no mistake: the climate crisis is also a crisis of culture, and thus of the imagination.
Theatre is the rehearsal of the revolution.
This Is Not a Trial is a theatrical experiment developed by the Conceptualizing Ecocide project that invites the audience to become part of the urgent conversation on how we, as a society, can think about responsibility for environmental harm. What would it mean to prosecute ecocide in a court of law? Can the law bring justice to local communities and ecosystems, including birds, trees and other nonhumans? And who should be held accountable in this chain of destruction? During two performances, on 18 and 19 June at the ZIMIHC theater Stefanus in Utrecht Overvecht, a group of artists, actors and students from Utrecht University staged This Is Not a Trial at the ZIMIHC theater Stefanus in Utrecht Overvecht - and the audience acted as the jury.
This Is Not a Trial stages a fictional courtroom trial set in the near future, where ecocide – severe, large-scale environmental destruction – has been integrated into Dutch criminal law, based on the proposed legislation recently submitted by the Partij voor de Dieren. It provides a realistic glimpse into how such a law could play out in court. On trial is the fictional Dutch multinational Smit Refineries N.V. and its CEO, accused of the destruction of an Indonesian ecosystem where nickel and other rare earth metals are extracted. Though these raw materials are essential for the development of green technologies for a more sustainable future, the nickel mining industry destroys key biodiversity areas and entire ecosystems, pushes unique species such as the Maleo Bird to the point of extinction and displaces Indigenous communities from their lands. The trial forces the court to navigate a paradox: can environmental harm in one place be justified by potential global benefits?
The performance follows the tradition of postdramatic theater, blending research, documentary and courtroom drama with poetic interludes, multimedia elements, music, and dance. With these layered elements we aim to give voice to perspectives often missing in the traditional courtroom. Exploring the intricate ties between legal frameworks, ecological issues, political dynamics, historical legacies, and cultural values, we ultimately ask: What are the limits of the legal system, and of the concept of ecocide, in addressing the global ecological crisis?
This Is Not a Trial was written and directed by Reinier Noordzij. The poem “Wat beweegt het water” was written and performed by Emma Zuiderveen. Production management: Julia van Berkel.
And the verdict is...
The Creative Team
- Susanne C. Knittel, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature, Utrecht University (initiator and team leader)
- Eggo Müller, Professor of Media and Communication, Utrecht University (dramaturgical advisor)
- Reinier Noordzij, actor, screen writer, theater and television director, script coach and drama teacher (script and direction)
- Flora Lehmann, Research Master’s student of Comparative Literary Studies, Utrecht University (assistant)
- Mohana Zwaga, Research Master’s student of Comparative Literary Studies, Utrecht University (assistant)
- Tim Hammer (Pollif Projects), theatre maker, composer, writer and multi-instrumentalist (sound design, music and concept more-than-human elements)
- Mirthe Dokter (Pollif Projects), transdisciplinary maker and performer focusing on singing, theatre, visual arts and film (scenography, visual art and concept, and performance more-than-human elements)
The Legal Team
- Cedric Ryngaert, Professor of Public International Law
- Jérôme de Hemptinne, Assistant Professor of International Law
- Antoinette Sprenger, Senior Expert Environmental Justice, IUCN NL
- Carolina Sánchez De Jaegher, Expert in the Philosophy of Law and Indigenous Legal Systems
- And Niki Avramidou, Shanya Caspary, Luna Frank, Jamie Järvinen Vatcher, Thurgga Vigneswaran, Sofija Cvitanovich, Lorena Melisa Uysal, and Ashleigh Mulder, students of the Master’s Programme in Public International Law at Utrecht University
This Is Not a Trial is part of Conceptualizing Ecocide and received financial support from Pathways to Sustainability, Centre for Science and Culture and the Network for Environmental Humanities.