Theatre Royal Plymouth taking action on climate change

Theatre Royal Plymouth are committed to promoting environmental sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint.  Over the last year TRP have introduced a number of initiatives to take action on climate change.

Instead of sending redundant theatre sets and props to landfill, TRP is looking at ways to recycle them into new projects. Recently, 30 sets of small stairs that were made in our workshops for a client but were no longer needed were gifted to local theatre companies and schools. These helped support small scale productions that had little or no budget. Tor Bridge High’s Musical Theatre Club received four sets of steps to use in their production of Little Shop of Horrors.

Vicky Davey, Teacher at Tor Bridge High said: “A wonderful opportunity came our way when I came across a tweet by the wonderful Theatre Royal Plymouth stating that they had sets of steps available to gift to different institutions. This year our Musical Theatre Club are performing ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ and the steps were able to add a wonderful new element to our set.

We really cannot thank Theatre Royal Plymouth enough for gifting these steps to us; making our own would have taken time and funds that we simply don’t have, so to be able to receive these incredible steps as a gift really has meant a lot to both our staff and students here at Tor Bridge High.”

All the metal work from a Theatre Royal Plymouth production, 49 Donkeys Hanged, was sourced from a scrap yard and after the production finished it was recycled and the wooden floorboards sold to a local company to be repurposed.

One of the main aims of TRP’s environmental policy is to cut down on single use plastics. Plastic straws have now been replaced by paper straws in our Front of House bars and cafes. 

Vegware cups, a plant based compostable packaging, have been introduced for all take out hot beverages to replace previous plastic lined cups.  TRP is also a stockist of One Plymouth reusable cups – a city wide initiative with the aim to help reduce the use of throwaway unrecyclable cups.

Recycling in backstage areas is being encouraged with the introduction of clearly labelled waste bins. 

As well as recycling, Theatre Royal Plymouth is committed to reducing its carbon footprint. A wall mounted tablet has just been installed in the foyer of the theatre for patrons to complete a short survey on how they travelled to the theatre.  This information enables the theatre to monitor its CO2 and establish its carbon footprint.

The theatre has also voluntary signed up to Arts Council England’s Spotlight Programme. Over the next four years, TRP will work closely with advisors, externally and internally, to make improvements to a number of areas, with the key one being energy management.

Committed to getting staff involved in taking action on climate change, TRP has introduced a Green Team made up of staff from across the organisation.  The Team communicate and advise on environmental policies at TRP.  Brendan Cusack, Head of Workshops and Chair of TRP Green Team said: “We believe it’s part of our social responsibility to protect and enhance our local and global environment by reducing the impact of our actions.  We continuously review our performance to help us do this, ensuring we play a part in taking action on climate change.”