In her bilingual musical for young adults, Simona Rodano breaks artistic boundaries while tackling a topic of importance and poignancy. One well-worn cliché where adventurous artists are concerned centers on how they “follow their own muse.” But Simona Rodano is far more driven than that. Working within the four disciplines of music, theater, environmental science and education — spread out over two languages no less — this native of northern Italy has created what she calls an “edumusical” titled “Sempreverde: Evergreen.”

Where anything environmental is concerned, Rodano knows whereof she speaks: A scientist by training, she deftly avoids the trap of sounding too apocalyptic or preachy. “Sempreverde” targets young audiences with a straightforward theme. The mission of the heroine, Sempreverde (Evergreen) is to persuade her antagonist Spreco (Waste) to reuse and recycle.