Theatre Green Book One Toolkit – Producing

General

• A Materials Inventory is not an accurate tool like a Carbon Calculator, but is much easier for the team to use. It allows the team to see where the materials in a show come from, and what will happen to them when the show is over. The Green Book recommends their use for Baseline and Intermediate productions.

Green Book guidance sets clear targets for sourcing and disposal.

Baseline Productions

• 50% of materials should have had a previous life

• 65% of materials should be reused or recycled afterwards.

Intermediate Productions

• 75% of materials should have had a previous life

• 80% of materials should be reused or recycled afterwards.

Advanced Productions

In Advanced productions, all materials should have had a previous life and should be reused or recycled afterwards.

Calculating Percentages

The materials in a production should be assessed as follows:

• Set and scenery: by weight (where known) or number (if weight not known)

• Costumes : by sq.m (manufactured costumes), or number of items (ready to wear costumes)

• Props : by weight (where known), or number of items (where weight not known)

• Technical equipment : by weight (general & stage equipment) and number (lights etc)

The production should reach the target in each category.

Teams should take a sensible view of how to cluster items by number. For example, for props, one ‘item’ might be a set of teacups and saucers, a sofa, or a tree. For costumes, one item might be a three-piece suit, or a pair of jeans. For technical, one item might be a light, or set of gels.

• The aim is not to ‘game’ the system so as to ‘pass’. It’s to give the team an honest understanding of how responsible the production is.