Sea Sick @ CanadaHub, Summerhall

If you’ve heard of Extinction Rebellion then you’ll already have been informed of the terrifying global crisis we’re in the midst of. If you haven’t, then this show might just shake you to the core. In association with CanadaHub, The Theatre Centre presents Sea Sick, a one-woman play which sees award-winning science journalist Alanna Mitchell taking to the stage to deliver a vital and intellectual lesson on the current state of the planet.

With a scientific father and an artistic mother, Mitchell realised that these two elements work in harmony, thus beginning her quest to ask questions, gain knowledge and understand the greater meanings in life. She tells the story of her environmental awakening in discovering that the sea is “the switch of life” (she’s the university lecturer we all want and need).

Supported by simple staging, the writing is often poetic and extremely shocking. Mitchell describes how she risked her life at one point to explore the depths of the ocean, and explains that we are well on our way to a mass extinction. Aided by a blackboard, she draws diagrams and carries out experiments to clarify her teachings.

Director Franco Boni wants to emphasise the importance of communicating the truth through necessary community conversation. The show is followed by a question and answer session with Mitchell and, at this point, audience members were plugging environmental meetings within the Edinburgh area – demonstrating that people are currently taking action all around us.

For anyone who's still unconvinced that climate change exists, this show is a must-see. Mitchell ends with a note of comfort – that this is not an individual battle but a battle as a species. We all must stand together and push for change.

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Kings Hall, CanadaHub @ Summerhall, until 25 August (not 12, 19), 12.30pm, £11-9