A New Vision:
From the Stage to the Jungle
I’ve been on stage basically my entire life, but when I was a little girl, my first dream was to be the next Dian Fossey - you know who she is - the lady who dedicated her life to saving the gorillas in Rwanda. She was magnificent, and she actually gave her life trying to achieve that goal in the midst of the political and environmental turmoil that was the land at that time.
My husband who’s also spent most of his life on stage, his first dream was to be a marine biologist. To swim and explore and rescue the oceans and all the beautiful life teeming within from the damage that we cause as a species.
Somehow, we both uncovered the artists and performers within our bones and those childhood dreams got swallowed up in our creative efforts on the stage.
Then we found each other.
Our passions for dance and performance only deepened, and literally in each other’s arms we built our careers as entertainers and creators. We built a business so we could share our passions and performances. Now, twenty plus years into this journey together, those childhood dreams still tug at us.
Jumping the theater ship and becoming conservation biologists at this point just doesn’t seem logical, but there is a deep desire for our passions to collide.
(A hush falls on the stage, then begins a drum mimicking a heartbeat.
Enter JungleKeepers.)
Who Are the JungleKeepers?
I discovered this organization a few years ago, long after they began their treacherous and utterly committed and massive mission of saving the Amazon Rainforest. I was immediately enamored. They spoke directly to the little girl who wanted to go to Africa and live amongst the gorillas; they spoke to the now adult woman who writes shows about the jungle in lieu of living in it.
Not to mention, they are a hell of a lot braver than I am - swimming in the Amazon, catching anacondas, facing the fires of destruction head on. Their work is no picnic, but it is a dream.
The JungleKeepers founders are Paul Rosolie and JJ Durand. They’ve built an ingenious model to work toward saving this sacred land… Buy it. Then hire the local community who have little work options other than logging and mining, and instead give them fair work as rangers to protect the land that they love.
The Amazon matters immensely to the indigenous people and animals who live there, but truthfully, it should matter to everyone on the planet. That massive jungle is an imperative part of our global ecosystem, home to thousands of ancient trees, countless species of flora and fauna, miraculous medicines, and its an oxygen creating/carbon absorbing machine.
When I said ‘sacred’ I meant it. Many of us meet God in the natural world… in the cathedral of ancient trees.
So, Raymond and I are not leaving our lives as theater creators, honestly, we love it too much. But it is time for our visions to collide.
(The heartbeat-like drum returns. Enter Entertainment for Mother Earth.)
What is Entertainment for Mother Earth?
Melonlight is just a small theater company, but we’re growing, and so is our mission.
Entertainment for Mother Earth is an initiative to make our work in the theater industry have a direct impact on helping to save Mother Earth and the beautiful lands and lives she nurtures.
Beginning in 2026, a portion of every theater ticket we sell will make its way directly into the hands of the JungleKeepers.
We can’t do the work they are doing, although sometimes I fall asleep at night wishing we could. But we can make a contribution. We can support their mission with our voices and the almighty dollar.
Furthermore, we’ll be hosting benefit shows to help raise awareness of this amazing organization and its mission.
The entire proceeds of these benefit shows will go directly to the JungleKeepers.
So, thank you in advance for purchasing a ticket to one of our many shows. And I strongly encourage you to learn more about the JungleKeepers, maybe even set up a regular monthly contribution of your own. For the price of a latte, you could save a macaw instead. Their social media accounts are beautiful, full of adventure, and watch out for the tears as you’ll also see some of that sacred jungle burning to ash.
Paul Rosolie is the author of three phenomenal books: Mother of God, The Girl and the Tiger, and The Junglekeepers. Read them, the stories are unbelievable, and he is nothing short of a passionate poet. Buy a book, make a contribution, follow them, and help spread the word of their mission.
Thank you for your support.
The Arts and Mama Earth both need you.
With Love,
Emily Ulibarri