Theatres Trust awards grants c£100,000 to improve theatre sustainability

Theatres Trust is awarding c.£100,000 to five theatres to make them be more environmentally sustainable.

Made possible through its partnership with the Wolfson Foundation, a further £360,000 will also be awarded over the next three years.

Unfortunately many theatres do not currently meet modern environmental standards and the national public advisory body for theatres is making this a priority going forward.

The projects supported in this round of funding include installing solar panels, upgrading house lights to more efficient LEDs and replacing the Building Management Systems that control heating, ventilation and energy use.

The five theatres who are benefiting from funding in this round are Chichester Festival Theatre, Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond, Lyric Theatre Belfast, The Marlowe in Canterbury and Northern Stage in Newcastle.  

Director of Theatres Trust, Jon Morgan, said: “Despite the immediate issues caused by Covid 19, it is imperative that we continue to focus on the long-term environmental sustainability of the  theatre sector. Environmentally friendly buildings are not just an ethical imperative but a business necessity that can impact a theatre’s viability. The volume and quality of the applications we  received for this scheme shows there is a real appetite amongst theatres to make environmental  improvements to their buildings, so we are delighted that Wolfson Foundation has renewed this  partnership and we’ll be able to help more theatres make vital changes.”

The next round of the Theatre Improvement Scheme is now open for applications, with £125,000 to be awarded in grants of up to £20,000 for projects to improve theatres’ sustainability. 

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