David Finnigan Offers Lessons for Survival in a Stormy World

by David Moore

Watching “Deep History” at the Public Theater, with Hurricane Milton poised to become the largest storm since Katrina, I felt the weight of the climate crisis that is no longer a distant threat but a present reality, unfolding faster than we can possibly adjust.

David Finnigan’s “Deep History” captures that urgency in a 65-minute one-man performance that is as stark as it is personal. Finnigan steps onto a bare stage, barefoot, surrounded by a dark backdrop, a projection screen, and two tables. On one table, a laptop controls images flickering on the screen. On the other, a black cone sits as Finnigan pours sugar into it, creating a growing mound that symbolizes growing population, rising carbon dioxide levels, and the ever mounting pressures of the climate crisis.

Finnigan’s narrative is structured around six turning points in human history, each offering a lesson in survival and adaptation. He starts 75,000 years ago with the eruption of Mount Toba, a volcanic event that nearly annihilated humanity. While these global historical moments set the stage, the play’s emotional core lies in personal stories that highlight how today’s climate crisis affects real people.

The beating heart of the play is the personal story of Finnigan’s friend Jack, who was running from fires back home in Australia during the blistering summer of 2019. It is no longer about mere survival but about the grim truth that “not everyone will make it.”

Finnigan captures the urgency, pouring more sugar onto the table, illustrating the weighty challenge ahead. His anger rises as he contemplates the wealth inequality that blocks meaningful changes. Since so few people control most of the world’s resources, how can we even have hope?

The performance isn’t just a lecture, though. Finnigan transmits moments of intensity that stick with us long after we leave the theater. A video of Australian firefighters driving through walls of flame brings the us face-to-face with the utter devastation of climate change.

These visceral images remind us of what’s at stake, spotlighting the human cost of ignoring the daily crisis.

Finnigan doesn’t offer easy solutions. He admits that when he wrote “Deep History,” he was searching for comfort in an uncertain world. But by the end of the play, his fifth and sixth lessons remain blank—an admission that we don’t have all the answers yet. The way forward is unclear.

Yet, this ambiguity is part of the play’s power. Finnigan’s message is stark but honest: the climate era will end, but not everyone will make it.

“Deep History” is part lesson, part personal reckoning, and part meditation on a world crisis. For those of us who have seen the waters rise or choked on forest fire smoke, we may be sheltered for now, but no one is immune.

Finnigan challenges us to confront the weight of our past and the uncertainty of our future as the next storm looms on the horizon.

Special Thanks to Reynan Punzalan for help in viewing and processing “Deep History.”

“Deep History” –written & performed by David Finnigan, directed by Annette Mees, video design by Hayley Egan, music by Reuben Ingall, at The Public Theater, New York City.  Info: publictheater.org – to November 10, 2024.

Cast: David Finnigan

Banner photo: David Finnigan. Photos by Joan Marcus