The UK’s first zero-waste performance space The Greenhouse tours London this summer

With sunshine due over the coming months, the radical first zero-waste performance space in the UK, The Greenhouse, will tour to three different London locations. The moving venue aims to show audiences how easy it can be to live, work and socialise in a sustainable way, and will also allow audiences the chance to connect to the natural world around them this summer. 

Climate change communication can feel overwhelming with new facts and figures making it incredibly difficult to comprehend. As a result, the crisis becomes so colossal and intangible that people can believe their actions are insignificant in comparison. The team behind The Greenhouse aims to create a ground-breaking and innovative venue to encourage a simple climate-conscious lifestyle and show people what they can do to combat the climate crisis. 

The Greenhouse is an in-the-round venue, made completely from found and recycled materials, with a clear roof, and no floor but the grass beneath your feet. The shows are exposed to the elements, making each event distinctively unique and inviting audiences to experience high quality entertainment whilst being immersed in the beauty of summertime. 

The Greenhouse tour kicks off at the Royal Docks as part of the Sea Change Festival and its season of sustainability. The Greenhouse will host Flotilla, a video installation by Melanie Manchot, alongside a free programme of events and workshops. On Sunday 28th May, the team will host a free, all-day Youth Festival on the site in Thames Barrier Park. The schedule will involve a range of workshops, as well as drinks and live music, created by and for young people aged 14 to 30. 

Following this The Greenhouse will return to Canary Wharf for a month with a programme of shows. To finish off the tour the venue will stop at the iconic Battersea Power Station, a new location for The Greenhouse, which will include a programme of free events, workshops and a bar. 

Across all tour stops, the team will be running an innovative zero-waste bar for the first time, offering drinks from Toast Ale at £4.95 a pint, as well as a range of juices from Milk&More. There will also be a range of social events and workshops, to build community, have fun, and share sustainable skills. 

Artistic Director Oli Savage said: “This is a really exciting year for The Greenhouse, popping up in three different locations and reaching a range of different communities around London. We’re also taking a new programming model, and are hoping to welcome over 40 companies into our space over the coming months, to ensure we have an amazing offer, while inspiring as many audiences and artists as possible to live and work more sustainably.”

More than just a theatre, at its heart, The Greenhouse is a social space to bring a community of people together, providing audiences with the opportunity for a unique and memorable summer night out. Having launched prior to the pandemic, The Greenhouse will bring an award winning programme that audiences can understand and relate to, allowing for impactful engagement with a personal connection to climate change stories. 

More information about the season will be announced in due course here.