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Meet a Do-Gooder: Zero
Natasha Tsakos's clown hero asks for 7 minutes to save the planet
It's not enough for Natasha Tsakos to bring laughter to audiences as a celebrated, if unconventional, clown. After she saw the Leonardo DiCaprio-produced film The 11th Hour, she decided she had to do her bit for the planet as well.
The Swiss-born artist has earned rave reviews from critics (this one included) from Miami to Mexico for her portrayal of Zero, a Chaplinesque tramp for the digital age. Her one-woman show Up Wake shows Zero struggling to make sense of a computerized world that runs faster and faster, but always leaves him repeating the same numbing office routine.
But Sunday is Zero's day off. Staying in character, Tsakos launched React with Zero, a call for people around the world to "turn off all the lights and give the planet a break" for seven minutes — from 7:53 pm to 8:00 pm — every Sunday.
Tsakos sends out Zero's message to her e-mail list once a week, asking everyone who receives it to "Pass it ON. Let's create a movement together."
Do-Gooder checked in with Tsakos to see what inspired the React campaign and to find out what response she's had so far.
Who is Zero?
Zero is a corporate clown, going to work, stuck between dream and reality.
So what motivated you to make Zero a clown activist?
My graphic designer invited me to see The 11th Hour. I said, "Something's got to change. What can I do to participate in this shift?" I've always wanted to have Zero running for the presidency. Then I realized he's not really running for any country's presidency; he's running to make a better world.
The Swiss-born artist has earned rave reviews from critics (this one included) from Miami to Mexico for her portrayal of Zero, a Chaplinesque tramp for the digital age. Her one-woman show Up Wake shows Zero struggling to make sense of a computerized world that runs faster and faster, but always leaves him repeating the same numbing office routine.
But Sunday is Zero's day off. Staying in character, Tsakos launched React with Zero, a call for people around the world to "turn off all the lights and give the planet a break" for seven minutes — from 7:53 pm to 8:00 pm — every Sunday.
Tsakos sends out Zero's message to her e-mail list once a week, asking everyone who receives it to "Pass it ON. Let's create a movement together."
Do-Gooder checked in with Tsakos to see what inspired the React campaign and to find out what response she's had so far.
Who is Zero?
Zero is a corporate clown, going to work, stuck between dream and reality.
So what motivated you to make Zero a clown activist?
My graphic designer invited me to see The 11th Hour. I said, "Something's got to change. What can I do to participate in this shift?" I've always wanted to have Zero running for the presidency. Then I realized he's not really running for any country's presidency; he's running to make a better world.
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