SUSTAINABLE THEATRE CASE STUDIES
Afterwork theater:
Greening Shrek
AfterWork Theater was selected as a recipient for the 2022 NYC Theatre Greening Grant. The practices and projects that were put in place helped spread awareness and conscientiousness in a fun and interactive way.
ALLIANCE OF RESIDENT THEATRES/NEW YORK
A.R.T./New York was selected as a recipient for the 2017 NYC Theatre Greening Grant. They installed 48 LED light bulbs and 4 Eco Dimmer light switches for their Great Room at their South Oxford Space in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
CO Adaptive Architecture: Sustainable Theatrical Space
CO Adaptive Architecture outlined some sustainable measures to consider when renovating an existing or creating a new theatrical space.
CLIMATE STORYTELLING AT THEATRE NORTHWEST, INDIANA UNIVERSITY
Indiana University Northwest in Gary is in the midst of a yearlong Climate Season project, which is described as “combining the arts, climate change awareness, and campus-community outreach and engagement.”
Conscious CostumE:
Sourcing Sustainable costumeS
Conscious Costume highlighted their costume rental program, as well as their free Sustainable/Ethical Source List. This living document contains environmentally, ethically conscious and BIPOC owned sources for materials.
Cuelist Software & The Music Man: Saving Paper and Time
Cuelist — a collaborative and paperless script annotation solution for theater and other live events — was recently developed with the hope of making the tech period a little faster and a lot more eco-friendly. The most recent show to use Cuelist on Broadway is The Music Man.
Flux Theatre Ensemble:
Climate Action Designer
Flux Theatre Ensemble was grateful to receive a 2022 NYC Theatre Greening Grant to fund a new position, Climate Action Designer (CAD), for our production of Metra: A Climate Revolution Play with Songs.
GENERAL MISCHIEF
DANCE THEATRE
General Mischief Dance Theatre was selected as a recipient for the 2018 NYC Theatre Greening Grant. They supported their costume designer, Olga Ferreira, in producing recycled material costumes for productions.
Hahnji Jang (장한지):
COMBINING ART & ACTIVISM
Hahnji Jang (장한지), activist stylist and costume designer, described how to incorporate sustainability into theatrical costume design, while highlighting the intersection between art and activism.
New York Classical Theatre:
Cell phone-based programs
New York Classical Theatre outlined their sustainable transition to digital programs by providing each theatergoer with a collectable, reusable bookmark. A link was printed on each bookmark for mobile access to a digital program.
New york theatre workshop
New York Theatre Workshop was selected as a recipient of the 2023 NYC Theatre Greening Grant. This opportunity helped NYTW recycle its aerosol cans while capturing the VOCs to prevent the compounds from releasing into the environment.
Rain and zoe save the world
Rain and Zoe Save the World is a unique piece of theatrical and climate storytelling. Two Seattle teenage climate activists embark on an impulsive motorcycle journey to join a group of oil protesters on the East Coast.
Scenery Bags:
Saving the scene
Broadway Green Captain and SCENERY Sustainability Consultant, Mara Davi, outlined how SCENERY has diverted 29,150 lbs. of theatrical material from the landfill.
SUSTAINABLE SET DESIGN
& INSTALLATION ART
Maria Feuereisen, Set Designer and Installation Artist, highlighted her experience of creating sets with upcycled garbage. From urban landscapes to mythological creatures, Maria learned that repurposed garbage is the best resource to teach audiences that creativity has no boundaries.
THE TANK THEATRE
The Tank Theatre was selected as a recipient for the 2018 NYC Theatre Greening Grant. They produced DarkFest, an annual week of programming where they turn off the grid and artists have to come up with alternate light sources for their work.
College Green Captains at UTRGV Receive Sustainability Ambassador Honors
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) has a team of 15 College Green Captains making strides toward sustainability in their theatre department across their 2022-2023 season.
WICKED On broadway:
Reusable batteries
John Curvan, Assistant House Electrician at the Gershwin Theatre, outlined how WICKED on Broadway switched to rechargeable batteries, furthering sustainability goals and saving money.
Have you incorporated sustainability into your art? Have an example of greener theatre?
Email us at info@broadwaygreen.com
Questions? Email info@broadwaygreen.com!