The 7th Annual International Human Rights Festival
The Tank Theater | 312 W. 36th Street, New York, NY 10018
December 8th - December 14th, 2025
Climate Change Takes Center Stage
Over 1,5000 artists have performed already at the International Human Rights Festival presented by International Human Rights Art Movement. This Festival, that moved to Dixon Place after being shut down at St. Mary's Church by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, found its unlikely stride at The Tank Theater in December, 2025.
Activating the stage to propose worldwide change through social justice, Festival Executive Director Tom Block curated an evening of modern dance, short plays, and a song cycle presented by South African musicians. Each piece flowed into the next, providing the best opportunity for quality expression and definitive artistry.
First up on Friday, December 12, 2025 at 7PM was Pando, an excerpt performed by DoubleTake Dance. Light rain water cascading on the soundtrack brought emotions from the earth, while a company of six women moved toward terra firma, investigating the essential nature of finding survival in ensemble. Full of emotion, with breakout moments for solos, this modern dance piece showed courage, propelling action toward discovery.
Victoria Z. Daily and Lorenza Bernasconi performed in High Water Line. While ice caps are melting, a mother talks her eleven year old daughter through the struggle of love and devotion. Tip-toeing atop cubes, they flee a rising river flow, where confusion meets with the necessity of great survival through climate change. When despair reaches a height through the worst of weather, this mother/ daughter story carefully deals with the unexpected and speaks of coping. They resolve that there is hope and support - one must only look to their family to find the way.
The thought-provoking Plastick by Henry Alper and Din Klein details all the ways to consider the use of plastic in our contemporary world. Din Klein, a younger artist wearing a lab coat, uses a microphone to lecture about plastic use today, while Henry Alper, a younger artist, counts bottles, wraps, and other pieces of refuse. Measuring each proportion, both actors seem comfortable in their post-scientific experimental lab. More than a reflection on body image, Plastick points at innovations while really exploring untested concepts. As the explanations grow more convoluted with respect to dance, the piece reaches a haunting end, and a body on a gurney is revealed. The body is held only by plastic, and the players do dance, keeping the bio-form matter solidly between them.
Finally, this brief evening wrapped with a song cycle by Ongama Mhlontlo called Nature's Secret. Operatic song filled the black box theater, while a soprano with blonde flowing hair and a stunning multi-colored, full-length dress sang with live piano music. Offering more splendor than pain, this clever release into song crossed boundaries, offering sounds heard often in South Africa. While Festival Executive Director Tom Block reported on daily action with his offices in Zimbabwe, Cameroon, and Nigeria, this South African team will be remembered for introducing themes of serenity, nature, and peace, while striving towards a more equitable world.
The 7th Annual International Human Rights Festival began on December 8th and will continue through December 14th, 2025 at The Tank Theater, located at 312 W. 36th Street in New York City.
Review by Marcina Zaccaria.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on December 14, 2025. All rights reserved.