Planet Connections artists make a commitment to create theatre sustainably. At the start of each Festivity, each production team is provided with a long list of green theatre practices, from which each team may select those items which best match their show's style; big musicals might employ ten or twenty of these practices, while smaller black-box productions often list only three or four - an electronic program here, a reused costume item there.
Not every artist does everything, but every artist does something. Every Planet Connections performance is the result of several meaningful commitments to sustainable theatre practice.
These figures show a small selection of the commitments of festival participants over the last two years.
Each pie chart shows an aspect of sustainable theatre practice. I have added resources or companies that specialize in helping artists commit to these goals in the caption section of each pie chart. Enjoy!
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| For example, Low-VOC paint (VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compounds) |
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| Check out Rehearsal, a useful iDevice app for actors in rehearsal and beyond! |
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| Production groups made an effort to rehearse in spaces with fluorescent rather than halogen lighting. The Festivity's Green Team personally went through and switched out halogen bulbs for fluorescents in the Festivity lounge and lobbies for the duration of the festival. However, the most obvious component of lighting - the stage lights themselves - could not be made more energy-efficient. Energy-efficient lighting instruments are undergoing development, at the moment. The most efficient stage-lighting instruments currently available, LED-based lights, may become more popular when certain problems have been resolved. |
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| Minimal design elements are a budget-saver and a creativity-booster. |
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| The Planet Connections Theatre Festivity staff make healthy use of Google Drive and Dropbox to share files with one another, instead of printing them and sharing hard copies. Many of our artists do the same. |
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| In addition to their use as stage props, theatre people occasionally use cups, plates, etc. to eat food and have parties. You know, every once in a while. Promoting the use of something washable rather than disposable is an ideal green practice for shows with small production and performance teams - it's easy to do if there aren't two hundred unwashed dishes at the end of the night. Also, Broadway Green Alliance suggests that a reusable water bottle with the show logo is a great first-rehearsal gift. |
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| There are dozens of options for eco-friendly printers here in New York City. Just Google "eco-friendly printing" and get price-checking. |
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| With CitiBike and the MTA as available resources, there's no excuse not to reduce your carbon emissions over the span of one rehearsal process. |
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| To donate reusable props, try FilmBiz Recycling. For costumes, try the Theatre Development Fund's Costume Collection or a local thrift store. For scenery, Build It Green NYC is an excellent option. |
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| For a Broadway example, watch this interview with the set designer of PETER AND THE STARCATCHER. She mentions two fantastic organizations that have also been used by Festivity participants: Materials for the Arts and Build It Green NYC. |
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| For some shows this is more feasible than others, but a show with a projected set means an ecofriendly show (most likely). It also means an easy set breakdown on a festival schedule, which in turn ingratiates the Festivity tech staff. Which is always, always a good thing. Just saying. |
Through these methods and many, many more, PCTF accomplishes a great deal to keep our contribution to the theatre scene eco-friendly. Have you seen a tip that inspires you? Are you saying to yourself, "That show I designed in college employed, like, half of these." Great! Bring your eco-friendly artistry to the stage for PCTF's 2014 Festival. Apply today!
