M Waldron has long straddled the line between science and art.
“I’ve always been writing,” Waldron told KSJD. “But then I studied geology in college, and I’ve always had this tension of being an artist and being a scientist and trying to make those two fit together.”
That tension forms the foundation of The Letter C, a new one-woman show written and performed by Waldron. The performance, staged at the Sunflower Theatre in Cortez, explores four deeply connected themes: Catastrophism, Climate Chaos, Cancer, and Community.
The concept began years ago with a poem. “Many, many years ago I wrote a poem called Catastrophism, and that is the first act of the show,” Waldron said. “The themes that I talk about I have been germinating for like 10 years… they’re just sort of in this compost.”
The show’s structure emerged unexpectedly during a massage. “All of a sudden, you know how your mind wanders, and I just kept thinking of words that started with C that felt really connected to me, but maybe others wouldn’t see that connection,” Waldron said. “I made a list in my phone… then that moved to a whiteboard. I started trying to be like, okay, what are the connections?”
Waldron ultimately narrowed it down to four “big C words” that became the acts of the show. The first, Catastrophism, draws on their scientific background. “There’s a tension in geology between things happening slowly, repeatedly… and then there’s the, but what about the volcanos? What about the landslides? We see that too. So is it a slow, gradual process, or is it a process where we just see catastrophes?”
The other three Cs—Climate Chaos, Cancer, and Community—extend that metaphor into human experience. “None of us escape unscathed from catastrophes,” Waldron said. “Whether it’s a climate chaos–related event, whether it’s losing someone to cancer… it’s like, how do we survive those? What lifts us through those catastrophes? And it’s community. At least, that’s been my experience.”
Though a solo performance, The Letter C includes projected illustrations by Waldron’s friend Ellen O'Neill, a collaborator from a past creative project. “The first act of the show is kind of, like, science heavy. And so I wanted to keep people engaged,” Waldron explained. “When I started thinking of, like, how do I help people visualize what I’m talking about, my friend Ellen’s illustrations just like popped into my head right away.”
Waldron also highlighted the support and collaboration that made the production possible. “It’s a one-woman show, but like, there’s so much collaboration that’s happened,” they said. “I’ve tried to outsource to my friends’ skill sets so that no one person feels overwhelmed.”
In connection with the show, Waldron is teaming up with the Montezuma Land Conservancy’s Next Generation Advisory Board to host a community conversation the morning after the performance. “They are starting a salon series… just getting people to listen to a podcast, read a book, and talk about the themes,” Waldron said. “I kind of tongue-in-cheek put my show as a salon idea… and they were like, oh, actually, this does work.”
Proceeds from the show’s ticket sales will be donated to the Sunflower Theatre. “One of the things that really matters a lot to me is having places like the Sunflower to have art, to have conversation,” Waldron said.
And for those wanting to take a piece of the performance home, Waldron has compiled a book of original poetry tied to the themes of the show. “Poems like Catastrophism that have sort of been leading to this product… I’m going to be selling that at the show,” they said.
"The Letter C" will be performed at The Sunflower Theatre in Cortez on April 4th and 5th at 7pm. Tickets and more information can be found on their website.
