HOT MESS Musical to Feature Post-Show Discussions on Climate and Culture, Curated by Pollinate

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The Other Palace production features events on songwriting, staging, and climate recovery.

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A series of post-show panel events and a workshop have been announced for the new musical Hot Mess, curated by Pollinate, a new organisation developing musical theatre focused on climate and nature.

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Taking place as part of the strictly limited season of Hot Mess at The Other Palace, running from Saturday 13 June to Sunday 6 September 2026, the events – offered free of charge to ticket holders who sign up - will bring together artists, theatre makers, songwriters and climate and nature recovery leaders to explore how musical theatre can help audiences believe in fairer, greener futures.

Pollinate is a new UK-based community interest company working in partnership with leading organisations across music, theatre and the environmental sector. Founded on the belief that climate change is a challenge of culture and imagination, Pollinate grows musicals that help audiences move beyond anxiety or abstraction and towards more hopeful, human ways of engaging with climate and nature.

Created by the award-winning duo behind 42 Balloons, Jack Godfrey and Ellie Coote , Hot Mess is a high-energy original romcom that reimagines the climate crisis as a turbulent love story between Earth and Humanity.

The partnership with Pollinate extends the show's conversation beyond the stage, inviting audiences to engage with the climate and nature themes at the heart of Hot Mess through a series of live post-show discussions.

The post-show events will include:

Friday 26 June

According to IFPI, in 2023, people spent an average of 20.7 hours listening to music each week. Music provides an emotional window to the world as it stands and how it could be. But how might writing songs contribute to the movement for a just, habitable planet?

This discussion, taking place during London Climate Action Week, is for audiences and artists who want to understand more about the power and challenges of songwriting about climate change. Speakers will share insights into making music about climate, the impact of music in their life, and how they've approached storytelling through writing songs.

Drawing on expertise from the commercial music sector, and including Jack Godfrey , composer of Hot Mess, this panel brings together artists and journalists to explore the challenges of writing music with urgency and ambition.

Panellists:

Sohini Alam, singer, composer & music director; Khiyo, Lokkhi Terra, GRRRL/FLOW

Greg Cochrane, journalist; The Guardian, BBC, NME, Rolling Stone

Jack Godfrey , composer, lyricist & writer; Hot Mess, 42 Balloons, Babies

Phoebe Jasper (aka NAVVY), artist, writer & producer; Pete Will Save This House

Chaired by Finlay Carroll, Pollinate.

Tuesday 7 July

Plays and musicals have always been a space for exploring society's biggest challenges. From its earliest form, theatre has grappled with complex issues, seeking to speak with clarity and care to contemporary audiences.

As public demand grows for a cultural response to climate change, many artists are grappling with how to translate such a vast and urgent subject for different stages. If theatre cannot share stories about climate change in an accessible way, how can we build the lasting engagement needed for climate and nature action?

This panel brings together theatre makers, artists and creatives who are tackling climate and nature themes while staying true to their own artistic practice. Audiences will gain insight into live conversations happening in rehearsal rooms, the challenges of responding to environmental crises, and introductions to a generation of climate artists.

Panellists:

Finlay Carroll, producer & founder; Pollinate

Ellie Coote , director, writer & dramaturg; Hot Mess, 42 Balloons

Anna Himali-Howard, director, theatre maker & dramaturg; The Secret Garden, Orpheus

Luke Howarth, director & writer; Relish Theatre

Chaired by Meg McGrady, Pollinate.

Saturday 18 July 4 – 5pm

What would happen if humanity viewed its relationship with Earth as one of care, partnership, or even love?

Inspired by the question at the heart of Hot Mess, this creative workshop invites participants to explore their feelings about nature and climate through songwriting. Led by Hot Mess writers Jack Godfrey and Ellie Coote , alongside Pollinate.

The session begins with performances of two previously unheard songs from Hot Mess's development, performed by Mia Quimpo (covering the role of Earth) and Nathan Shaw (covering the role of Humanity).

Participants will then take part in a guided songwriting session, using memories of the natural world as inspiration for creating lyric ideas. No songwriting experience is needed.

To be eligible for the workshop you must be a Hot Mess ticket holder, please register with the name on your ticket order confirmation. Limited availability.

Tuesday 28 July

In June 2026, an international report outlined the alternative to climate breakdown, political extremism and economic tensions. Academics stated that 'an equal and habitable world is possible' in a sweeping vision for planetary survival. Across the UK, people are working to realise this vision through the creation of new coalitions, organisations and initiatives.

In this panel, we'll explore the challenges and opportunities ahead with climate and nature recovery leaders with expertise in renewable energy, rewilding, conservation, and organising for climate justice. This is for anybody who wants to learn how they can contribute to the creation of just and thriving futures on their doorstep.

Panellists:

Chisara Agor, award-winning composer and multidisciplinary artist; The Garden, We Are The New Hope

Kaplana Arias, technologist & urban greening activist; Nowadays On Earth, nature rights campaigning, tech for good

Lois Clark , conservationist, science communicator & researcher; habitat restoration, science participation

Tom Pakenham, environmental entrepreneur & investor; e-mobility, smart energy, sustainable business

Chaired by Finlay Carroll, Pollinate.

Producer Vicky Graham said: “The full team of HOT MESS share an ambition for it to be a conversation-starter on a topic that all too often feels too big to broach. We are immensely grateful to Pollinate for bringing together this distinguished group of artists, activists and entrepreneurs to explore the interplay between emotion and action and amplify some of the most inspiring innovations in the UK today.”

Pollinate founder Finlay Carroll said: “We're so excited to announce this panel series featuring an exceptional cohort of speakers from across music, theatre, and environmental sectors. Hot Mess has been pivotal in championing creativity as a response to climate change and Pollinate is proud to be curating constructive conversations alongside this remarkable team."

After a billion years of bad dates, Earth has finally found the one… Humanity. Sparks fly. Seeds are sown. Ground is broken. But what begins as a passionate love affair between the universe's most iconic couple quickly descends into a hot mess.

Following its world premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025 and subsequent London transfer to Southwark Playhouse last September, the show has quickly become one of the most exciting new British musicals, winning a Fringe First Award, the Popcorn Writing Award and Musical Theatre Review's Best Musical Award, alongside widespread critical acclaim.

Returning to the role of 'Earth' is Danielle Steers (Just for One Day, Six the Musical, Bat Out of Hell) following her acclaimed performances in the show's sell-out Edinburgh Fringe premiere and subsequent Southwark Playhouse transfer. Joining the company as 'Humanity' is Morgan Gregory , whose recent theatre credits include The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, UK tour, Back to the Future, original West End cast at the Adelphi, 42 Balloons, Lowry, and Newsies, Troubadour Wembley Park.

Also joining the company are Mia Quimpo (Pippin, Upstairs at the Gatehouse) as cover 'Earth' and Nathan Shaw (Mamma Mia! The Party, and The Rocky Horror Show UK and International tour) as cover 'Humanity'.

The production features music supervision and co-orchestrations by Joe Beighton , choreography by Alexzandra Sarmiento , set design by Shankho Chaudhuri , lighting design by Ryan Joseph Stafford , audio production and sound design by Paul Gatehouse , costume design by Sarah Mercadé, musical direction by Sara De Sanctis, casting by Pearson Casting CDG and intimacy coordination by Lex Kaby. The dramaturg is Deirdre O'Halloran, with Lydia Cook as Associate Director and Taz Hoesli as Associate Choreographer, Phil Burke as Associate Lighting Designer, Charlie Smith and Richard Pomeroy as Associate Sound Designers, and Ciéranne Kennedy-Bell as Costume Supervisor. Rosie Morgan is Company Stage Manager, with James Anderton as Production Manager and Byron Ladd-Carr as Sound No.1.

Danielle Steers returns as Earth alongside Morgan Gregory as Humanity in HOT MESS: A NEW MUSICAL, running at The Other Palace in London this summer. Learn more here!

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/HOT-MESS-Musical-to-Host-Post-Show-Climate-and-Culture-Events-Curated-by-Pollinate-20260618)._