Theatre Green Book Education Conference 2024
In June, Guildford School of Acting (GSA) hosted the first Theatre Green Book Education Conference: an international online event which brought together educators and industry representatives across schools, further and higher education to share ideas and best practices on embedding sustainability in performing arts curricula.
The Theatre Green Book is the sector’s response to the climate crisis, providing ‘a complete method for sustainable theatre’ through:
- A framework for planning
- Best practice guidance
- Three standards on the path to Net Zero
- A measurement system
It is being adopted and used by all parts of the sector, including productions, operations and buildings.
The project organiser was Katy Downton, Senior Lecturer at GSA, Chair of the Theatre Green Book education committee and Fellow of Surrey’s Institute for Sustainability. Katy co-chaired the event with Lisa Burger CBE, formerly Joint Chief Executive and Executive Director of the UK’s National Theatre, who co-founded Renew Culture, the originators of the Theatre Green Book, in 2020. The event was also supported on the day by Charlie Hester, GSA Events Technician.
Case studies on sustainability in theatre education were presented by the National Institute of Dramatic Art (Sydney, Australia), Sharjah Performing Arts Academy (UAE) and Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Panel discussions included a focus on using the Green Book in secondary education, embedding sustainability in the higher education curriculum, and the impact of the Theatre Green Captains on future practice.
Industry participants included the National Theatre, the National Theatre of Scotland, Footprints Scenery and D&B Solutions who discussed what employers are looking for from educators in the field, and CharcoalBlue who presented on their engagement with Carbon Literacy Training.
Professor Catherine McNamara, Head of GSA said “Katy’s work to bring this conference into being has been fantastic. She has brought people from across the UK and also from Melbourne, Hong King, Spain, Portugal, Finland, Japan, Canada, Greece, the Netherlands, Denmark, France, Belgium, Austria and the Czech republic – all coming together to talk about the climate crisis and what we, as theatre and arts educators and employers can do within our practice. We must work collectively to make significant change and Katy is a leader in this work”.
Related sustainable development goals
