How to
on Earth
“Mars Mission would require you to be away
on a mission with no return. Was it to go down
from your family and friends forever. What
in history as pioneers who saved humanity from
impact would this have on you?” This was a
our dying planet? Arguably controversial from an
poignant question on the Mars One application
environmental perspective, this lofty claim also
form from 2013. After a competitive selection
masks these characters’ more personal reasons
process that would involve training in harsh
that include the urge to escape gaping holes of
physical conditions and enduring the image-
loneliness and disorientation in a complicated
crafting scrutiny of a reality TV format, 24
life on Earth.
finalists were promised a one-way ticket to the Red Planet. The entire world would hold its collective breath as people watched a live stream of the first humans to set foot on Mars and establish a permanent settlement. Anyone 18 or older could apply, and a whopping 200,000 expressed interest. In the world of MJ Kaufman’s play, Aggie, Bill, Eleanor, and Omar are among those who compete for a spot in the final 100 and actively grapple with the aching decision to separate from loved ones forever. Conversely, their parents, siblings, and lovers navigate feelings of anticipated grief. During interviews for the real-life Mars One mission, family members and partners teared up imagining this heartwrenching goodbye. While they knew they could communicate with departed loved ones through digital technology, they could never share a meal, never hear their unmediated voice, never embrace them again.
The process unsettles Kaufman’s aspiring
How to Live on Earth
astronauts because someone who toys with the idea of leaving the planet forever takes a hard look at what it means to live here in the first place. While the real-life Mars One mission never came to fruition, the prospect alone changed people’s lives tremendously. Applicants reported they began taking risks to form much deeper connections with other humans and the planet at large. As the characters face gargantuan decisions, the play puts the question of how any of us live on Earth under a powerful microscope. In this world, the intangible vastness of space protrudes into human consciousness to explore an inconsolable yearning for wholeness. While that existential desire may never be fulfilled, this encounter fosters profound connections of love with others and oneself. How to Live on Earth becomes a heartfelt exploration of our tiny but magical shared existence on this beautiful Blue Planet.
Through the lens of its four applicants, the play explores why candidates were determined to go
—Karoline Vielemeyer, Production Dramaturg
A 2022–23 SEASON STUDIO SERIES PRODUCTION