1.1 Artistic Director and Producer PRE-PRODUCTION Action Develop your awareness of the overall environmental impacts associated with production. Because you set the vision, culture and tone of the production or event, the cast and crew will look to you for leadership and confidence on the issue of sustainability; if you don’t act as though it’s a priority, they won’t either. Therefore, it’s essential to have practical examples to hand and build a basic understanding of issues and terminology. Make a point to reassure people that sustainable practices are not designed to compromise the artistic quality of the production, but to ensure that the creative vision is realised sustainably. Use this guide as a starting point to familiarise yourself with a sustainable production cycle. For more suggestions on staff engagement, see page 14. Develop an environmental policy for the production with the director and production manager, detailing the environmental commitments the production will make. You may want to discuss possible themes with the wider cast and crew. Share the final policy internally and externally. Use this guide to help identify your actions, and read other companies’ policies for inspiration. For tips on how to develop a policy see page 8. Allow more time for the production process in order to address and prioritise sustainability and budget salaries for the director, production manager and stage manager accordingly. Researching, testing and identifying sustainable products and processes can take longer, especially the first time around. If possible, an extra two months can have a huge impact. Consider environmental commitments when contracting directors, designers, artists, venues and suppliers. Communicate your commitment to environmental concerns alongside artistic and financial considerations and that you expect them to do the same. Invite them to contribute ideas to how this will work in practice and use your production’s environmental policy as a starting point for the conversation.
Case study Young Vic: ‘After Miss Julie’ Sustainable Production Pilot The Young Vic achieved a reduction in carbon emissions of 38% overall for their production of After Miss Julie (March-April 2012), when compared to the average emissions for a show in the same space. This was achieved without spending more than their average production budget for the Maria Studio, where the show was performed. They reported that involving the entire creative and technical teams, as well as the cast, from the very first communication was fundamental to their success. Likewise, their decision to extend the production process and hire a stage manager for an additional three weeks enabled the team to take time to find appropriate “green” solutions and products. Their pilot involved exploring sustainable production practice across all aspects of production, including the show’s marketing and ticketing. You can read more about their learning here: www.juliesbicycle.com/resources/casestudies/production/after-miss-julie
Include environmental commitments in contracts and job descriptions for all production crew. Give people relevant roles in the sustainability process, for example tasking the Production Assistant and other relevant crew members with gathering information to monitor the production’s environmental impacts.
sustainable production guide – Measure and manage your carbon emissions
7
