The billionaire and the Bolivian train cemetery: bold epic Rare Earth Mettle

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...