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Playwright Al Smith discusses his continent-hopping new work about the climate crisis, inspired by rusting locomotives and the Lithium Triangle in the AndesThere was a worry that when theatres reopened after months of pandemic-enforced closure, programming might be risk averse, with ambitions constrained by strapped finances.Al Smith’s Rare Earth Mettle is not a constrained play. It is a multi-stranded, multi-character, continent-hopping drama that centres on the Bolivian salt flats but encompasses numerous plotlines and locations. It was commissioned pre-pandemic – they were midway through rehearsals when theatres closed in March last year – but the Royal Court has remained committed to bringing it to the stage. Continue reading...