Earth Music Theater Live, presented at the Weinstein Auditorium at Smith College in March of 2025, is a unique and particularly timely collaboration between musical artist and technologist, Steve Thomas, film maker Dan Barstow, and former astronaut and author Cady Coleman.  EMTL, as it has come to be known, is a multimedia experience, comprised of live music performance, film, and an engaging live educational presentation from the astronaut. 

Multimedia, in this case, means multisensory, in that it is both an aesthetic and intellectual engagement with the audience at a very high level.  That’s a neat trick, and the experience is ground breaking and important for combining those components alone. In addition to all that, the quality of the instrumentalists, the compositions, the high production values of the video element, and the passion and expertise of the retired astronaut make this an experience not to miss.

EMTL is a piece uniquely suited to, and deeply needed in our time.  The live and spontaneous elements are created in the moment with the energy of the audience. The audience, rather than being passive consumers, are encouraged to think deeply about the most important elements of our life on earth and what they mean. No one will leave this experience without some new thoughts, and a more profound appreciation of the beauty, power and fragility of the planet that we all share. That will, in turn, create action that is sorely needed if we are to save our world.

EMTL is a community building experience in a world where social media has actually made us more detached from each other. Living, interactive gatherings of people in real time are sorely needed and craved in our polarized time. EMTL is specifically crafted to provide this experience in a deep and meaningful way. 
When we see the breath taking, astronaut created visual images, we are reminded that, despite all of our differences that we tend to focus on, these are completely eclipsed by that which we have in common and depend upon for our very survival.

The music reflects that paradox elegantly. There are the open chords and simple rhythmic structure of folk, rock and classical music from across the world, as well as the more complex harmonies and subtle rhythms of jazz. Suddenly genre becomes an unimportant concept. We need to get beyond those siloed categories, just as we need to leave our polarized viewpoints behind to build the solutions to the problems that endanger us.

The musical ensemble is led by Steve Thomas on guitar and includes Chris Cheek on alto sax, Carl Clements on bansuri and alto flute, Clare Arenius on drums and percussion, and Josh Metz on bass.  The improvisations of the players are suggested and guided by the images they see, along with the audience, in real time. The viewers’ thoughts, ideas, and emotions arise simultaneously and in a similar way.  While all improvisational performances are interactive, there is that added dimension created by EMTL which is both innovative, important, and powerful to experience.

Astronaut Cady Coleman brings her images and her unique and powerful narrative to the experience.  What is more immediate than hearing someone share their story from a perspective that most of us will never have, but that we need to know in order to grasp the importance of the health of our planet?  Personal story telling is as primal and ancient as the human race itself, and despite our technological proficiency, we all still respond to it, and will continue to. Cady is engaging, and smart and fun and has seen the world in a way that most of us won’t, all of which makes this EMTL experience even more special.

The way we live now is constantly infused with a combination of technology and live experience.  EMTL elevates that interaction to the level of an artform. It is an experience not to be missed, and unlikely to be forgotten.

​