How to on Earth

“Mars Mission would require you to be away from your family and friends forever. What impact would this have on you?” This was a poignant question on the Mars One application form from 2013. After a competitive selection process that would involve training in harsh physical conditions and enduring the imagecrafting scrutiny of a reality TV format, 24 finalists were promised a one-way ticket to the Red Planet. The entire world would hold its collective breath as people watched a live stream of the first humans to set foot on Mars and establish a permanent settlement. Anyone 18 or older could apply, and a whopping 200,000 expressed interest.

In the world of MJ Kaufman’s play, Aggie, Bill, Eleanor, and Omar are among those who compete for a spot in the final 100 and actively grapple with the aching decision to separate from loved ones forever. Conversely, their parents, siblings, and lovers navigate feelings of anticipated grief. During interviews for the real-life Mars One mission, family members and partners teared up imagining this heartwrenching goodbye. While they knew they could communicate with departed loved ones through digital technology, they could never share a meal, never hear their unmediated voice, never embrace them again.

Through the lens of its four applicants, the play explores why candidates were determined to go on a mission with no return. Was it to go down in history as pioneers who saved humanity from our dying planet? Arguably controversial from an environmental perspective, this lofty claim also masks these characters’ more personal reasons that include the urge to escape gaping holes of loneliness and disorientation in a complicated life on Earth.

The process unsettles Kaufman’s aspiring astronauts because someone who toys with the idea of leaving the planet forever takes a hard look at what it means to live here in the first place. While the real-life Mars One mission never came to fruition, the prospect alone changed people’s lives tremendously. Applicants reported they began taking risks to form much deeper connections with other humans and the planet at large. As the characters face gargantuan decisions, the play puts the question of how any of us live on Earth under a powerful microscope. In this world, the intangible vastness of space protrudes into human consciousness to explore an inconsolable yearning for wholeness. While that existential desire may never be fulfilled, this encounter fosters profound connections of love with others and oneself. How to Live on Earth becomes a heartfelt exploration of our tiny but magical shared existence on this beautiful Blue Planet.

—Karoline Vielemeyer, Production Dramaturg