GSA achieves 'Advanced' Green Book-standard

A second version of the Theatre Green Book was launched last year giving an updated and improved version of the sustainability framework for all theatre-makers to support their transition to a sustainable future. It has now been translated into 12 languages and is being used by the European Theatre Convention.

Much Ado About Nothing (pictured) and For the Love of a Nightingale were designed by Jenn Taillefer using Theatre Green Book principles. For Much Ado, 78 per cent of the materials used for the production had had a previous life and 99 per cent went on to have another life after the production.

Much of the set used for For the Love of a Nightingale (pictured) was re-used from the previous show; 98 per cent of materials had a previous life and 99 per cent went on to have another life which was a fantastic achievement.

To put this in context; the Bellairs autumn season achieved basic Theatre Green Book Standard and produced approximately 800kg co2e from the raw materials used. The spring Bellairs season achieved advanced Theatre Green Book Standard and produced approximately 45kg co2e, a significant reduction.

The Theatre Green Book initiative within GSA has been driven by Katy Downton, GSA’s Sustainability Champion and Fellow of the Institute for Sustainability at the University of Surrey. Katy said: “The success of these shows was a group effort; Jenn Taillefer created a fantastic design based on existing scenic elements after a stock familiarisation meeting at the very beginning of the process, and was able to style the costumes based on stock. The Directors were flexible and very supportive of this way of working, and the students have enjoyed being able to apply theory to practice from their sustainability lectures. We still have a long way to go as an industry, but embedding this within theatre education is an integral part of the process.” 

Jara Hilmarsdóttir, Student Green Captain and Assitant Stage Manager found that "coming from Iceland, it was very interesting and inspiring to see how much thought went into the sustainability side of the production here in the UK. From day one, the creative team at GSA worked with the Theatre Green Book in mind, which meant sustainability was built into the designs from the start rather than feeling like a restriction. That made a huge difference. One of the things I got to do was restore a very old, damaged vanity unit –taking it from a peeling, broken mess to a beautifully refurbished piece. It was a rewarding experience that reinforced how sustainable choices can enhance both the creative process and the overall production.”

Rebecca Emery, the Production Manager for both shows, said that "working with the Theatre Green Book guidance and striving to be as sustainable as possible has focussed our outlook and subtly shifted our practises into a direction that I am sure will continue to keep."

Head of GSA Catherine McNamara added: "GSA's work using the Theatre Green Book as part of our productions processes is of vital importance to us. We are in a very critical period where we need to think extremely seriously about how we do what we do, and the ways we can impact the planet negatively or positively. For us, that is developing our sustainable practices within education and training in the arts.

"We established the GSA Sustainability committee as a way to bring multiple aspects of our work together. We have undertaken Carbon Literacy training as a staff, and we connect with the university Sustainability team to ensure that we are all engaged in the right conversations and actions. Our active engagement with ways of making progress matters. We want to work collectively as a whole community at GSA and the University of Surrey to ensure that we are working and learning in sustainable and responsible ways."

Monique Raats, Co-Director for the Institute for Sustainability, commented: "I could not be more proud to be giving a shout out to Katy Downton and her team. Katy has been championing sustainable theatre through ensuring it is solidly embedded in our education programme. The team has also been working hard to ensure it’s own productions are more and more sustainable, thus leading by example. The recent achievement of advanced Theatre Green Book for its spring Bellairs shows is wonderful news."

GSA will be keeping up their sustainability momentum and will be welcoming  leading eco-scenographer Dr Tanja Beer early next year when she takes up an Institute of Advanced Studies fellowship at Surrey in 2026. Dr Beer will be running workshops with students, lecturing at the Institute for Sustainability and taking part in a Theatre Green Book Education Symposium in Glasgow that GSA and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland will be supporting.

Photo credits: Steve Gregson