The research of Beth Osnes focuses on the use of applied performance and creative climate communication to co-author an equitable, survivable, and thrive-able future for life and the ecosystems upon which life depends. Recent work includes using performance as a tool for young female-identifying and gender diverse youth to engage in art-science activities to support their feeling of belonging within STEM and as a part of the natural world. and 2) performance-based methods for supporting youth in climate engagement. As co-founder of Inside the Greenhouse on the CU campus for creative climate communication, this year she continued an art/science project, Side by Side, with EBIO professor Rebecca Safran and Environmental Design professor Shawhin Roudbari for which they were awarded a nearly $2,000,000 grant through the National Science Foundation Advancing Informal STEM Learning (terminated by UAS current administration April 2025). In past summers they worked with area high school aged youth to create an art/science procession at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and award-winning films that have been shown in film festivals around the world. She continues to tour an experiential performance The Butterfly Affect, that invites audience members to costume themselves as various butterfly species to undergo metamorphosis. This performance has toured locally and internationally and was featured in 2024 on Colorado Matters of Colorado Public Radio and the Jesse Waters Show on Fox News for over 2.5 million viewers. She also continues to advance climate comedy with ENSV professor Max Boykoff with major support from the Argosy Foundation with a yearly Earth Day performance at the Boulder Theater.
keywords
use of performance-based methods to support youth in authoring climate solutions at the local level, vocal empowerment for women in all aspects of sustainable development, theatre for development, creative climate communication, community engagement in resilience planning at the city level, young women's vocal empowerment, good natured climate comedy, environmental education, student engagement for sustainability education
ARSC 1480 - MASP Social Science Seminar
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2025 / Spring 2026
Fosters an appreciation of the social sciences. Readings, discussions, cooperative learning exercises, and outside activities illustrate the interconnections between different bodies of knowledge. Emphasizes relationships between the social sciences and the real world. Department consent required. May be repeated up to 4 total credit hours.
ATLS 3173 - Creative Climate Communication
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Spring 2019 / Spring 2020 / Spring 2021 / Spring 2022 / Spring 2024 / Spring 2025 / Spring 2026
We generate multimodal compositions on the subject of climate change and engage with various dimensions of issues associated with sustainability. We work to deepen our understanding of how issues associated with climate change are or can be communicated, by analyzing previously created expressions from a variety of media (interactive theatre, film, fine art, television programming, blogs, performance art, for example) and then be creating our own work. Recommended prerequisite: ENVS 1000. Same as ENVS 3173 and THTR 4173.
DNCE 5048 - Art & Sustainability
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018 / Fall 2019 / Fall 2020 / Fall 2021 / Fall 2022 / Fall 2023 / Fall 2025
Engages students in the power of performance for effecting positive social change. Students research collaboratively to create performances and workshop experiences to intentionally author the future they want. Readings provide theoretical foundations that serve as the basis for creative work. Students engage in creative explorations. Open to all forms of performance. Formerly DNCE 5048. Same as DNCE 4029.
ENVS 3173 - Creative Climate Communication
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Spring 2019 / Spring 2020 / Spring 2021 / Spring 2022 / Spring 2024 / Spring 2025 / Spring 2026
We generate multimodal compositions on the subject of climate change and engage with various dimensions of issues associated with sustainability. We work to deepen our understanding of how issues associated with climate change are or can be communicated, by analyzing previously created expressions from a variety of media (interactive theatre, film, fine art, television programming, blogs, performance art, for example) and then be creating our own work. Recommended prerequisite: ENVS 1000. Same as ATLS 3173 and THTR 4173.
ENVS 4850 - ENVS Honors Thesis Research
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2020 / Spring 2021 / Fall 2024 / Spring 2025
To be taken in final academic year prior to graduation. Consists of honors research and thesis preparation under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Department enforced restriction: Requires a minimum 3.3 GPA and a declared ENVS major and approval by departmental honors committee. If a student wishes to use ENVS 4850 to complete the ENVS Capstone degree requirement, at least 3 credit hours of ENVS 4850 are required (by graduation). Recommended prerequisites: ENVS students should have already taken a cornerstone class (ENVS 3520, ENVS 3525, ENVS 3555, or ENVS 3621).
ENVS 5930 - Internship
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2020
Provides academically supervised opportunities for environmental studies majors to work in public and private organizations on projects related to the students' research and career goals, and to relate classroom theory to practice.
THDN 6009 - Research and Teaching in Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2024 / Fall 2025
Provides an overview of resources, methodologies, and strategies for graduate teaching in the fields of theatre, dance, and performance studies. Students will be exposed to library and other resources available to them in the department and in the university, and will develop a research proposal for a project they plan to develop during their graduate studies.
THTR 4029 - Art & Sustainability
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018 / Fall 2019 / Fall 2020 / Fall 2021 / Fall 2022 / Fall 2023 / Fall 2025
Engages students in the power of performance for effecting positive social change. Students research collaboratively to create performances and workshop experiences to intentionally author the future they want. Readings provide theoretical foundations that serve as the basis for creative work. Students engage in creative explorations. Open to all forms of performance. Formerly THTR 4029. Same as DNCE 5029.
THTR 4073 - Performing Voices of Women
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Spring 2020 / Spring 2022 / Spring 2024
Explores theories underlying the "feminine voice," varied perspectives in prose and poetry, ways of embodying these voices and perspectives in performance forms and ultimately the students' own voices through creation of autobiographical performance pieces (some to be presented for student audiences). Open to both men and women. Same as WGST 4073.
THTR 4149 - Theatre Internship
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2025
Provides opportunities for theatre majors to explore career opportunities in theatre fields other than, or in addition to, those with performance emphasis. Students apply knowledge and skills developed in their major studies to a practical work experience. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Recommended requisite: 30 credit hours in THTR.
THTR 4173 - Creative Climate Communication
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Spring 2019 / Spring 2020 / Spring 2021 / Spring 2022 / Spring 2024 / Spring 2025 / Spring 2026
We generate multimodal compositions on the subject of climate change and engage with various dimensions of issues associated with sustainability. We work to deepen our understanding of how issues associated with climate change are or can be communicated, by analyzing previously created expressions from a variety of media (interactive theatre, film, fine art, television programming, blogs, performance art, for example) and then be creating our own work. Recommended prerequisite: ENVS 1000. Same as ENVS 3173 and ATLS 3173.
THTR 5049 - Topics in Theatre Studies
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Spring 2022 / Spring 2024
Provides an opportunity for an in-depth study of a particular topic in theatre (e.g., a historical period, a region, a group or artist, a theorist, a concept). Topic specified in the Online Schedule Planner.
THTR 6011 - Theatre and Performance Histories 1
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018 / Fall 2020 / Fall 2022 / Fall 2024
Studies the various histories of theatre and performance globally before colonialism, in context of contemporary work and the implications of this work through critical and scholarly responses to these performances.
THTR 6959 - Master's Thesis
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2021 / Fall 2021 / Spring 2022 / Spring 2025 / Spring 2026
May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours.
WGST 4073 - Performing Voices of Women
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018
Explores theories underlying the "feminine voice," varied perspectives in prose and poetry, ways of embodying these voices and perspectives in performance forms and ultimately the students' own voices through creation of autobiographical performance pieces (some to be presented for student audiences). Open to both men and women. Same as THTR 4073.
