Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2013 - 31

Several interviewees noted that donors do not want to invest in
unseen efficiencies as part of major renovation projects. Funding a storage facility, a geothermal heat pump, new workspace
lighting, or solar panels may not be viewed as a glitzy aspect of
a theatre's operations. But creative marketing, together with a
dedicated response to such funding that places it on par with
any other major donation for traditionally high profile areas
(theatre, lobby, box office, etc.) could prove fruitful for organizations. Others observed that artists are unwilling to spend
more per item on sustainable materials and therefore reduce
the quantity of items affordable within limited production budgets. In both instances, the long-term ecological benefits can
outweigh the short-term costs, but the quantifiable economic
argument is for facilities changes because they draw resources
24/7 and productions do not. Many investments in infrastructure items, such as house lighting and HVAC, can reduce energy
consumption by such a factor as to have three- to six-year returns on investment.
Most resident theatre production budgets come to a zero
balance by year's end, and each show is considered as a distinct
book of expenses. Such an approach does not encourage intergenerational (or even interseasonal) thinking and focuses on
short-term costs and benefits. While capital and facilities projects regularly are considered across several fiscal years, productions are not. Such an approach endorses thinking about
each show (or at best each season of shows) as a discrete unit.
The reality is often that materials from one show could be used
multiple times, but in order to provide aesthetic variety theatres
rarely reuse scenic materials. However, with thoughtful storage
use and planned modification, scenic components could easily
reappear a few years apart without negating aesthetic quality.
Single-cycle thinking reduces the possibility of distributing the
cost among shows not in the same season. In response to this
dilemma, Childsplay moved to a three-year season planning
cycle that permitted better prediction of production component
lifespan and the repetition of entire productions. They also have
retained designers for multiple productions in a single contract
so as to encourage thoughtful reuse of materials from one show
to another. These efforts will help to save and reuse scenic elements (or even entire sets) that would previously have been
sent to the dumpster. (Runfola 2011)
Another commonly discussed operations shift to more
sustainable production is for theatres in the same area to
share purchasing and storage of raw materials. If they can
agree to a shared warehouse of products, then they would be
able to expand options beyond what is available at the common lumber outlets such as Home Depot and Lowe's. Additionally the theatres would have the leverage of purchasing
materials in bulk, thereby reducing the cost per unit of more
sustainable materials. However, such endeavors have not
flourished for logistical reasons.
A more successful approach has been to create cooperative scenery and property storage facilities, where members
place specific pieces that may be used later by themselves or

by other members. Such an approach not only makes fuller use
of manufactured pieces but also opens up valuable space for
fabrication at each member's shop. In England, Scenery Salvage takes away scenic materials in order to repurpose them.
Located about an hour from central London (even Glasgow and
Edinburgh are only about six hours away), items for purchase
include doors for about $20 and large casters for about $6. Anthony Augliera Moving and Storage and Theatre Biz Recycling
in New York City provide similar services. These are notable
services, but these companies focus on the waste stream and
therefore take responsibility away from theatres and production
houses, which then do not have to think in a cradle-to-cradle
manner. To be more fully sustainable, production should be integrated with reclamation and reuse along the lines of Hawken,
Lovins, and Lovins's extended production responsibility.
What has become apparent in our research is that many
of these ideas will succeed if there is individual or institutional
commitment to making them happen. Nowhere does this seem
so unified than in and around Times Square in Manhattan. Individuals serve as Green Captains on all Broadway shows, making
small changes within current operations. Embracing Edwards's
"scalable" principle, a College Green Captain program intends
to link the Broadway community with colleges nationwide. In
New York City, theatre buildings have shifted to high-efficiency
(HE) washing machines and LED marquees along with many
less apparent facilities changes. Disney Theatrical's flagship
theatre, the New Amsterdam, embodies a commitment to being
greener, from more energy-capturing elevator drives to waterless urinals to LED lighting to natural light permeating the offices through an impressive skylight roof. The building's chief
engineer, Dan Milan, is committed to investigating energy saving solutions for the theatre's physical plant, and all employees
are encouraged to do the same within their individual spaces.
The path to sustainability has a steep learning curve. Theatre makers are subject to inertia just like everyone else; it takes
energy to change practices that have defined how we work for
years. Several of the people we interviewed commented on how
little time and energy they and others had to figure out new
ways to do things. This perceived lack of time appears to be the
highest hurdle to overcome because becoming more sustainable often involves investigations into new materials, tools, and
processes. Also there exists a wide perception that all greener
practices are more labor intensive than traditional ones. It is
perfectly reasonable for theatre makers to resist giving themselves additional responsibilities and increasing their own
workloads. The current modes of design and production have
developed throughout decades; being more sustainable means
re-examining these embedded and assumed structures.
New materials for scenery come to market regularly, and
some of them disappear rather quickly as well. Simply keeping
track of what is available is time-consuming, but even more challenging is learning the best ways to use these materials. Many
scenic designers already specify the use of "grained" (e.g., plywood or lauan) or "smooth" (e.g., MDF or hardboard) surfaces

s u m m e r 2013

theatre design

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2013