The show must go on… but it shouldn’t be at the expense of the planet. If you’d like to go green during your production, here are 10 tips to help you and your team reduce waste and help the environment!
1. Use green cleaning products.
When it’s time to clean items or rehearsal spaces, skip harmful cleaners with ammonia or bleach in favor of more eco-friendly brands. You can also use old t-shirts or cloth pieces as rags in place of paper towels!
2. Build sets and props with eco-friendly materials.
Get creative and use recycled or repurposed materials when building your set pieces and props. For paints and glues, go the non-toxic route! If you can’t, make sure all hazardous materials are disposed of properly.
3. Reuse props, sets, and costumes.
When the curtain falls, store your props, costumes, and set pieces in a safe location for future productions. Reusing these items as often as you can will help reduce material waste. Plus, it’ll cut out the time needed to make new ones in the first place. If you can’t store them, donate instead!
4. Forget disposable batteries.
Billions of alkaline batteries are thrown away every year in the US alone, and costs can add up when you’re buying new batteries over and over again. Switch to rechargeable batteries where it’s possible to save not only the planet, but also some money.
5. Bring reusable or biodegradable dishware.
We know students have to eat. If you provide food for your cast and crew during tech week, be sure to provide biodegradable dishware to reduce plastic waste. You can also encourage your students to use reusable containers if they bring their own food.
6. Switch to power strips for electronic equipment.
Plug all your electronics into power strips that you can turn off at the end of the day. This will help you avoid “phantom energy”, which is electricity that devices use when they’re off. Even if a small amount of energy is drawn, it can add up to your total electricity usage.
7. Set up garbage and recycling stations.
Encourage students to minimize their waste by setting up stations for them to dispose of their trash and recyclable materials properly. If needed, make the bins easily accessible during rehearsal so they’re always reminded to recycle.
8. Print programs with recycled paper.
When it’s time to print posters and programs for the audience, use recycled materials and paper. You can also go paperless with online tickets or encourage audience members to print them at home.
9. Appoint a Green Captain.
The Broadway Green Alliance encourages every production to appoint a Green Captain, a person who finds ways to go green during a show. Students can volunteer for the position and work together to reduce waste.
10. Go paperless!
Scripts, scores, cue sheets… there’s so much paper in theatre. And it’s even worse when they get lost. Go paperless altogether with digital scripts on ProductionPro — now accessible from any device. We’re proud to do our part in minimizing paper waste and help the theatre industry become paper-free!
Have you heard about ProductionPro? Check out digital scripts and scores for your show plus a suite of tools to help you have a successful rehearsal process.