A WEBF Article: A Green Future for Sustainable Theatre
Besties, when you travel to the venue for your next theatre trip, will you think about the challenges of global warming and how you, the producers and venue operators are playing their part in responding to the threat? In this article, we look at the risks that the sector faces over the next five years and why more support is needed to invest in solutions to future proof these important venues.
Taking positive action to reduce venue’s environmental impact is a moral obligation driven by a business rationale. It involves careful consideration in making programming choices that reflect positive environmental values and adopting technology, and ways of working that minimise the venue impact. Many old and/or listed buildings will face more complicated, expensive, or restricted opportunities to improve environmental performance and reduce heat loss.
Telling Green stories
One way in which theatre can uniquely support moves to a greener economy is through the stories it tells on stage. The Wilde Theatre in South Hill Park Arts Centre in Bracknell’s 2022 pantomime of Jack and The Beanstalk, written by Joyce Branagh, recast Jack as a girl out to save the town of Windy Bottom from the fearful Giant, including references to solar energy and recycling to educate and inform its family audiences.
Pigfoot Theatre tell stories about the climate and ecological crisis, with the least carbon impact possible. Their work ‘practises what it preaches’ and protests within an industry which, in London alone, has a carbon footprint of 50,000 tonnes a year. Their bike-powered family comedy How To Save A Rock has toured UK. ‘Hot in Here’, an energy-generating dance party, toured across the UK in Autumn 2022.
The Point in Eastleigh hosts the Big Green Ideas Day in April, working with Wild Hive Collective to create a sustainability hub with a plant and seed swap, Good to Grow sessions and a craft session around ‘Imaginings for a Greener, Brighter future’. The event also included a give and take swap event for second hand clothes. The event seeks to support behavioural change in response to the climate emergency. The weekend included the performance of ‘Breathe’ using puppetry, music, and live cameras and three story tellers to tell the tale about the forest underworld.
Reading Rep had climate change in its thinking throughout its build programme and in its opening seasons staged Albie the Penguin Saves the World, aimed at 3- to 8-year-olds, with a meaningful story in which he helps save his friends and the world.
Matt Smith’s recent West End performance in Enemy of the People had at its heart a protest story about water contamination and the threat of political and commercial pressures to contain the story. It deliberately set out to provoke and engage the audience to react to the tale.
These are powerful ways to engage audiences with the shared message, but it is critical too that the producer and venues adopt green practices in staging and presenting their works.
Theatre Green Book
The Theatre Green Book was published in 2021 and in its 2023 audience survey found that 77% of audiences think cultural organisations have a responsibility to influence society to make radical change in response to the climate emergency. 93% expect organisations to ensure their buildings are energy efficient and reduce waste.
It is divided into three volumes : Sustainable Productions, Sustainable Buildings and Sustainable Operations. In Productions, it sets out Principles for Producing, Making and Disposal, and Technical Staging. In Venues, it argues they should “Be lean, be clean, be green”. In Operations, it sets out Principals for Front of House, Back office, Managing the Building, Waste and Travel and Transportation.
The book identifies many elements to address to be greener and which of these is practical and affordable will vary by building. Heat loss through roofs, walls, doors, and windows requires investment in insulation and may be impossible due to listed building requirements for older venues. Utilities costs are driven by the heating, cooling, lighting, hot water, and ventilation systems installed. Solutions like solar panels, heat pumps and turbines need investment and space, and the benefits of feeding into the National Grid have been significantly reduced in recent years.
Water Utilities can be reduced by using Green Roof solutions, using rainwater and grey water.
Green Operations involves every aspect of the venue. Front of House catering and merchandise sourced supplies, the materials for housekeeping, maintenance and cleaning of the building, building management systems to monitor and control services, waste reduction, reuse and recycling, and the travel and transportation used by staff, audience, and visitors.
Changes in working practices
There are some easy wins in adapting practices and promoting a green message that can begin to change attitudes, but success will need the buy in of venue staff, producers, service providers and audiences. An easy starting point is waste disposal and recycling in venue consumables, and production sets and props.
UK Productions told us that as a major set and costume production organisation with its own workshops, they work hard to recycle and refurbish sets and costumes to give them longer life and reduce waste. For example, unwanted wood is converted to biomass fuel and sourcing energy supply from Octopus Energy reduces the carbon footprint.
Trafalgar Theatres are now able to source 100% of the electricity from renewable sources reducing emissions and saving money, and have developed procurement strategy to buy more effectively.
Beck Hayes is able, because it has external space, to contract BIFFA to process its recycling waste away from the venue, which is both more cost effective for the venue and simpler to operate for audience and staff than internal recycling bins.
The Poole Lighthouse promotes changes to practices by encouraging sustainable travel to the venue through:
Cycle to work scheme.
There is an EV charging point located outside Lighthouse on Kingland Road
A Spoke Safe cycle hub opened in The Dolphin Centre, making cycling to Lighthouse more secure than ever.
Volvo Cars Poole were announced as the Official Energy Partner of Lighthouse. The partnership was designed to raise awareness of the sustainable practices in place at Lighthouse and financially support the replacement of the traditional tungsten lighting in their theatre with energy efficient LED lighting.
Small changes like the removal of plastic straws and use of polycarb glasses reduces non-recyclable waste.
Transport for touring productions is another significant element. Imagine Pantomime producers aim to transport all of their sets and costumes using Biofuel. KB Event brings expertise from different specialisms to combat the challenge. The introduction of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) into the fleet and working with the expertise at Peak Oils to supply 100% renewable diesel that is palm oil free, is a clear example of the company’s collaborative working ethos. The HVO that KB Event uses eliminates up to 90% of net CO2 and significantly reduces nitrogen oxide, particulate matter, and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions.
Fiery Angel recognises the need to reduce its carbon footprint and is exploring the use of Bio-Fuel transport for its tours and proudly restages The 39 Steps on its UK tour reusing the last production’s set, having stored it since the run ended in 2015.
The need for investment
Fundamental change will require investment in the infrastructure and access to funds to pay for these. Old buildings, even those built in the 1970’s will suffer heat loss through the roof, windows, doors, and walls. Old inefficient equipment needs to be replaced to reduce gas and electricity use. New innovations like solar panels and wind power require planning permission and investment. The payback on some of these investments makes them a challenge against other pressing requirements for funds.
The Mill at Sonning has invested over time to move towards carbon neutral operations with geothermal heating, symphonic turbine, and LED lighting, front of house and on stage. The venue works hard to recycle sets on its productions and comply with Green Book.
The Orchard Theatre in Dartford benefited from the Public Sector Decarbonation scheme which funded the removal of old gas plant and invested in heat source and PV solar energy. Many other local authority owned venues could benefit from this funding scheme to protect their cultural asset.
The Lighthouse Poole told us: “In the longer term, the drive to carbon neutral operations will need Government support even for relatively modern buildings like The Lighthouse Poole as investment payback from such initiatives as alternative power sources and wall insulation is too long to enable investment or attract commercial loans without grants. A Government policy statement for the theatre sector toward net zero carbon footprints is urgently needed. This is essential to create financially sustainable venues without which there would be a huge detrimental effect on the local community and economy.”
LED lighting front of house and on stage has been widely adopted, with both its longer life cycle and lower energy costs to operate the financial case is stronger and the quality of light is acceptable. Such lighting is now more artistically acceptable and can be blended with traditional lighting with the cost of operation being one tenth of old technology and a payback on the investment over between three and eight years.
The Theatres Trust's Theatre Improvement Scheme, in association with the Wolfson Foundation, offers capital funding for theatres. The theme for the fund for the current three-year partnership was Improving Environmental Sustainability. Theatre operators could apply for grants of up to £20,000 towards their building or equipment as part of the scheme. It hoped that these grants would support a range of projects that consider different ways theatre buildings can reduce their environmental impact. From sedum roofs to new windows, building management systems to more efficient water heaters, funding will be given to projects that demonstrate how a small intervention can have a big impact.
In 2023, SOLT proposed a Government fund to support Environmental Initiatives in Theatre across the country including insulation, glazing, more modern equipment , service controls and LED lighting.
Leaders in the Sector
As we would hope, some of the larger venues are leading the way in these changes with commitments to carbon neutral operations.
The RSC joined the UN Race To Zero (RTZ) in 2021, committing to report annually on progress towards a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030 and adopting a comprehensive net zero target for 2040.
Committed to reducing emissions from purchased energy by 11.6% by 2023 and we will establish further targets to become carbon neutral by 2030.
Reducing energy consumption and improving energy efficiency across our buildings
Increasing the procurement of energy from renewable sources
Increasing onsite renewable energy generation
Maintaining and extending where possible the use of electric and alternative fuelled company vehicles
The National Theatre committed to reducing their carbon impact and set targets to achieve carbon neutrality as an organisation by 2030 by working to the standards of the Theatre Green Book. These included:
Reusing and recycling with 50% of materials needing to have had a previous life, and 65% needing to be repurposed or recycled at the end.
The Max Rayne Centre has a rainwater collection tank which supplies water to all toilets in that wing of the building.
All of the electricity that powers the NT from the national grid is generated by wind and solar. .
New LED lighting in our auditoriums and foyers
Currently recycle 67% of our commercial waste.
New reusable cups in bars saved over 200,000 single-use plastic cups.
The Mayflower Theatre in Southampton have developed an environmental strategy with the aim to reduce their carbon footprint with a target of net zero by 2030. In 2023, they undertook a full environmental impact audit providing them with a useful benchmark against which we can measure progress, and which enabled them to develop an action plan. The strategy includes:
Recycling and reduction in consumption.
Environmental awareness training for staff.
Engaging with suppliers with sustainable working practices and products and challenging suppliers to provide sustainable products.
Identify opportunities to increase energy savings with LED lighting, insulation, glazing, draught exclusion and, if feasible, solar panels.
Progress and measurement
It is an important element of this change process to measure, report and share the impact of these changes annually. NT committed to share their experience and learn from others within the wider sector and by working with peer networks. They reported that in 2022-23, they were aiming to reduce their energy and water carbon emissions by 20%. They reduced emissions by 15% in both 2020-21 and 2021-22.
Climate change measurements need a system like the TV and Film Albert service that provides advice, supports measurement, and certificates the carbon footprint from screen-based production. The impact could be mitigated by offset arrangements.
The Display Energy Certificate process can help in measuring the progress in energy efficient initiatives and display of the certificate can make audiences aware of the venue’s efforts and progress.
The ISO 14001 Environmental Management Standard is a valuable road map to guide initiative to adopt greener solutions.
The climate change challenge needs evolution of practices too, perhaps a carbon levy on every ticket to fund offsets or a sector wide storage facility for sets, props and costumes with the support of a haulage company to hold and catalogue sets and support the recycle for remounts and amateur productions, then productions can demonstrate and measure their impact.
Arts Council England (ACE)
As a major funder of theatre in England, ACE has a leading role to play in this process.
Their Leadership and development programmes include:
Building Net Zero Energy : For those who are just starting out or have begun to work on energy reduction but are keen to do more.
Capital Investment ready: For organisations already making significant progress on energy reduction.
ACE also points at another useful resource of Julie’s Bicycle website with free multimedia resources to understand the systemic causes of the climate crisis and how it intersects with issues of social, economic, and environmental injustice and a free library of over 250 resources including guides, case studies and factsheets.
The ACE Capital Investment Programme supports cultural organisations to adjust buildings and equipment so that they can operate safely post-pandemic and improve access, seize on technological opportunities, and reduce environmental impact. Round 2 is now open with portal for full application opening on 25 July.
The scope of this challenge is huge touching every aspect of society but the prize is enormous, and theatre is well placed to engage audiences and change habits but to speed up the process investment is required in equipment, changed practices and solutions that may in the short term have a higher cost.
Nick Wayne
Nick has been involved in Producer and Venue Organisations for twenty-five years, seen over 1200 productions, visited over 160 of the UK Venues and directly invested in over 30 West End Productions