Conceived by Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson, the play 'Kyoto' premiered in 2024 in Stratford-Upon-Avon and opened in January 2025 at @sohoplace in London.

The play dramatizes the negotiations surrounding the 1997 United Nations climate agreement, drawing sold-out audiences in London.

Addressing themes of agreement and disagreement, the play depicts how personal convictions and political ideologies shape responses to climate change.

The character of Don Pearlman, an American lobbyist for the fossil fuel industry, symbolizes the resistance to climate agreements and illustrates the complexity of individuals involved in climate negotiations.

A pivotal scene features Pearlman's wife, Shirley, encountering an NGO observer, emphasizing the breakdown of trust and the human impact of climate decisions.

Murphy and Robertson highlight the interconnectedness of climate change and migration issues, noting that the climate crisis could lead to significant displacement of people.

The playwrights aim to leave the audience with a sense of hope, recognizing that while flawed, multilateral agreements like the Kyoto Protocol have made significant progress in addressing climate change.

The playwrights conducted extensive research, interviewing delegates, scientists, and stakeholders involved in the Kyoto negotiations, revealing emotional and dramatic aspects of the process.

They sought to highlight the human stories behind the political negotiations, making the climate crisis more relatable on a personal level.

The playwrights aimed to simplify complex UN jargon into relatable dialogue, engaging the audience to see themselves as active participants in the climate crisis.

The language of IPCC reports was creatively used in the play to represent complex debates within the UN, with humor derived from acronyms and formal speech patterns.

Murphy and Robertson were inspired by the need to address political polarization and the importance of agreement in tackling climate change.