Op-shopping, worm farms and cornstarch blood bags: how Australian theatre is staging a greener future
- Written by The Conversation
Theatre has long gathered and connected communities through story and shared experience. The performing arts can educate, provoke and inspire climate action. Yet the industry grapples with its own environmental footprint.
In response, the Theatre Green Book was released as a free, global framework for sustainable theatre practice.
The Theatre Green Book began as a collective initiative by writer Paddy Dillon and theatre-makers in the United Kingdom, in response to calls for coordinated climate action within the arts. Since then, it has been adapted into more than 17 iterations and used in more than 50 countries.
The Australian version adapts the European framework to an Australian context. It was first published online in 2023 by myself (Grace Nye-Butler) and Chris Mercer. The second edition, published today, was developed in collaboration with First Nations performing arts practitioners and the wider industry.
This edition grounds sustainability in relationship, legacy and innovation. It offers a Country-centred approach that honours First Nations Custodianship of Country, connection to Culture and Community.
As Dalisa Pigram, co-artistic director of dance company Marrugeku, explained during collaboration for the book:
Country is the oldest ancestor and the first teacher. If you care for Country, Country will care for you. It has ways to reset things.
An Australia-centred response
The performing arts sector’s environmental footprint can be traced to a range of sources, from energy used for lighting and venues, to emissions from touring and audience travel, to materials used for sets, props and costumes.
A recent study by Griffith University researchers found 74% of practitioners believe Australia’s performing arts sector has a responsibility to act on the climate crisis. Yet only 28% of organisations currently measure their own environmental footprint.
The Theatre Green Book Australia provides a practical, step-by-step guide to help companies reduce their environmental impact across three key areas: productions, operations and buildings.
Towards regenerative and equitable futures
The second edition was trialled over six months with seven theatre companies: Bangarra Dance Theatre, Bell Shakespeare, Belvoir Street Theatre, Griffin Theatre Company, Monkey Baa, Performing Lines, and Sydney Dance Company.
The Green Book responds directly to the continent’s ecological and logistical challenges. It acknowledges, for instance, the vast distances involved in touring, the diversity of local ecosystems, and the distinct supply chains and materials used in Australia.
By using the framework, theatre companies can align with international sustainability efforts in a way that remains locally meaningful. It also opens opportunities for global collaboration.
As Sydney Dance Company resident stage manager Simon Turner said:
Enhancing the ability to think “outside the box”, collaborating with other organisations has broadened the possibilities to bolster [the company’s] sustainable practices.
Central to the Green Book’s approach is the view that sustainability should be seen as a creative opportunity – not a constraint.
Practical changes include setting up composting and worm farms, connecting to local community gardens, using biodegradable blood packs made from corn starch, and creating asset-tracking systems to reuse sets, props and costumes.
Cat Studley, production manager at Bangarra Dance Theatre, said, in reference to the company’s production of Illume:
When we built Illume and the large set element – an oversized trumpet shell – we explored various methods and chose 3D printing in recycled black ABS (synthetic polymer), helping us exceed our goal of 50% of onstage materials being recycled or reused.
The companies that took part also developed a strong peer-sharing network, exchanging ideas and resources.
Dani Ironside, company manager at Bell Shakespeare, said:
Connecting with other theatre companies has expanded our insights into what’s achievable and shown us that the roadblocks we once saw to reaching baseline goals are, in fact, possible to overcome.
Other initiatives included investing in additional resources for sustainable sourcing, shopping at op-shops instead of fast-fashion outlets, incorporating sustainability criteria into hiring and contractor selection, and actively recruiting people with eco-conscious values.
The success of the Theatre Green Book in Europe, and now in Australia, shows meaningful change is underway. With commitment and creativity, theatre companies are proving sustainability can be woven into the fabric of storytelling and production.
Antonia Seymour, executive director at Arts on Tour, said the trial outcomes were a promising sign that eco-thinking could become the new “normal” for the sector:
We knew the only way to drive momentum and embed eco-literate theatre-making in the sector was by working collaboratively, using a common language and a global framework.
This is a moment of collective opportunity. Through shared knowledge, the performing arts can lead the way in imagining and enacting a regenerative future.
The author would like to thank Chris Mercer, co-author of The Theatre Green Book Australia, for his contribution to this work.
