Thoughts from the Cockroach
The cockroach is a hero of evolution who has survived several ice ages and all the mass extinctions since the Carboniferous era. Compare the cockroach success story with the somewhat (from an invertebrate viewpoint) dismal one of human evolution – in a mere two hundred thousand years humans have invaded, poisoned and parasitised vast areas of the planet, created more mayhem than the worst of the dinosaurs, and are now, apparently, precipitating another, totally avoidable, mass extinction.
What might be the future of life on earth – with or without humans? What solutions might the cockroach offer?
As humans slowly begin to realise we are not the mighty summit of some evolutionary pyramid, can our species evolve into creatures who appreciate all life and consciousness, and no longer commodify and exploit the rest of our comrades on this planet – be they plant, animal, fungi, bacteria, rock, water…?
To do this means recognising that everything needs everything else. The Cockroach is unsure what the value of the human species really is, but nevertheless gives some advice as to how we might improve. After all, cockroaches have been around since humans were just a twinkle in the eye of the universe. And there’s another 4 billion years of life, roughly, left before our sun shrivels and dies and planet earth dwindles away.
Expect music, songs and spoken word, in a thought provoking performance with plenty of humour and some salient facts.
No live cockroaches are exploited for this show.
Tech spec: Duration – varies according to situation – generally 20 – 40 min.
Needs a piano or keyboard of some kind, though it can be done with the accordion depending on access and general support. The Cockroach prefers intimate and friendly spaces rather than large halls. So mic should not generally be necessary, or if the situation demands, one vocal mic would do.
Contact Camilla Cancantata – camilla@littleweed-music.org
https://littleweed-music.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cockroach-6-5.pdf