I learnt that sustainability in theatre does not need to be a hindrance.
To begin with I was deeply sceptical about the whole project. I am not an environmentalist. I would rather hasten the planet’s demise than save it. I did this for artistic reasons rather than social ones. I hoped that by limiting the production we might do things more simply, more efficiently.
But ‘limit’ is the wrong word. What actually happened was that by ‘going green’ we opened up a plethora of possibilities.
I’ve described below how the limitations effected the artistic process:
Limiting computer use – Brilliant because I wrote onto paper which forced me to be fluent rather than deleting and editing all the time which is what happens when writing on a computer.
Limiting phone use – A blessing for everyone.
Travel by public transport – I can’t drive anything so it is the only way I can get around so it was never an inconvenience.
Monitoring of water use – What was artistically beneficial was that I think we took less breaks in rehearsal as a consequence.
Use of sustainable materials – This was the hardest one. Anything sustainable is more expensive. Paint, in particular, was extortionate and any scheme to subsidise that would probably be a good thing. Also a lot of people are still relatively ignorant about what products of theirs might be sustainable. One Simple8er had an amusing conversation with a wood merchant about the certification of their wood. They didn’t actually know what the certificate meant. I think finding homes for things after the show finishes is perhaps the most important thing to do. Our sandbags are going to be recycled. Our costumes will be used for other shows. Our flats, I think, are going to a school….
Use of low energy lighting – This lighting is great and certainly has a future for theatrical use. The criticism levelled at it by designers is that it bleaches out actors’ faces (sometimes a good thing). This is not entirely true. The technology is now advancing rapidly and becoming far less atonal. Also there are some productions where this effect would be particularly suitable. The National have got a German, experimental piece of ‘installation’ theatre on at the moment called The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other. LED lighting would be suitable for that material. I think the big theatres should be persuaded to identify what productions would be suitable to try it out on and then they might be pleasantly surprised.
For our purposes it was great because the lights offer more colour variety than traditional candescents so, with fewer fixtures, one can do more. They are smaller too, which, in a theatre with a low roof, helps aesthetically. The technology is improving and there are things that need ironing out – for example the board the lights run off is in principle brilliant (it has a colour select function and a very clever memory) but it is new technology (before this play it had never been used before) and so needs practice.
Use of the hydrogen fuel cell – By limiting the amount of energy you use you force yourself to use less light less often. This can only be a good thing. It is why Simple 8 were keen to take part in the experiment because we like to get the actors to evoke the situation and atmosphere rather than the lights or any other effect.
The problem I suppose with the hydrogen cell and with the low energy lighting is cost. But I imagine that to be the hurdle with all effort at sustainability and I have no solution other than to encourage change of habit. I hope that The Living Unknown Soldier and the example of the Arcola has helped, in some small way, to do that.
Sebastian Armesto
