Making the World a Greener Place, One Broadway Theater at a Time

It should come as no surprise that after blogging for Green Science for close to four years, I am very passionate about environmental science and sustainability. I enjoy learning about the current state of our environment, raising awareness about climate change, and coming up with practical solutions to reduce our carbon footprint, because I know that climate change is a problem that needs to be addressed quickly. Yet, my heart is not wholly devoted to environmental science, for if you ever scrolled through my tweets on my twitter page or read my past post, “My Unique Stress Reliever,” you know that I absolutely LOVE Broadway and musical theater. From regularly tweeting at actors such as Audra McDonald, Sutton Foster, Kelli O’Hara, and Laura Benanti, to meticulously putting together and then framing a 1,000 piece puzzle of Playbill® covers, I admit it: I am a huge Broadway buff – okay, fine…nerd.

At first, these interests may seem very different from one other. Musical theater and the environment have practically nothing in common, and if I ever want to pursue a career in either field, I will have to choose which interests me more. After all, it is impossible to combine the two in any way, shape, or form. Right?

Wrong. Thanks to the Broadway Green Alliance (BGA), sustainability and environmental protection meet show biz, and together, they work toward a common goal: greener theater. This summer I have the privilege of working with the BGA as a Junior Green Design Intern, and with my two greatest passions in mind, you can imagine how happy this makes me! Perhaps a career in sustainable theater will be the perfect career path for me!

The Broadway Green Alliance was founded in 2008 in partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental action group, to help the Broadway community go green and reduce its carbon footprint through a series of eco-friendly initiatives. Any show, whether it is Broadway or off-Broadway, touring, or even a college production, can join this alliance by simply appointing somebody in the cast or crew to become a Green Captain—a person who helps organize and put into place eco-friendly practices—and by sharing with the alliance all the ways in which the show is going green. Although some people may view the Broadway community as “old-schooled,” and not very interested in climate change, let me tell you: the theater community is very enthusiastic and actively supporting these new proposals, and the BGA is so far a huge success! In 2011/12, there was an astonishing 100% participation rate in the alliance among the Broadway shows, and with every passing year, more new theater productions are joining. The Great White Way is unquestionably going green!

Committees of the BGA

There are many different divisions involved in the production of a show. From managing the lighting outside of the theater to the actual set building of the production itself, each task is specialized. Due to this, there are countless eco-friendly practices that can be put into place to reduce Broadway’s carbon footprint. The BGA is split up into six committees to address the specific areas of the theater industry:

1. The Venues Committee is responsible for implementing greener practices around the actual theater itself. From replacing the light bulbs on the outside of the theater with energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) lights and compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), to using eco-friendly cleaning supplies and appliances, such as the LG Energy Star washer and dryer that Jersey Boys uses, the Broadway community is able to save hundreds of tons of carbon each year.
2. 
   The Pre- & Post-Production Committee is my personal favorite committee. It supports greener set building and design by encouraging designers to incorporate as many recycled and reused materials into their set as possible, thus decreasing their need to buy new materials. Additionally, it promotes greener ways to dispose of sets to prevent them from ending up in landfills. If another show can use some of the set pieces from one that is closing, why not take advantage and reuse them? Now, you may be thinking to yourself: “How can one possibly use such recycled materials on the glamorous and lavish Great White Way? When I go to see a Broadway show, I don’t want to be looking at trash for 90 minutes.” Well, let me tell you: the sets that can be produced using such materials are absolutely amazing. Take for instance the set of Peter and the Starcatcher, designed by the co-chair of this committee, Donyale
   
   Werle. Most of the materials for this set were recycled, borrowed, donated, or salvaged. Such examples of salvaged and reused materials include the bodega doors that were taken from a burning building and costume materials from Broadway’s past production of The Little Mermaid, which were later made into the ocean scenery. My favorite scenery, however, was the proscenium (see pictures to the left). The applied decorative details were 100% reused goods and consisted of, among many other materials, 3,563 corks, 817 bottle caps, 366 kitchen utensils, 57 zippers, 69 buttons, 58 pencils, 51 coffee lids, and 97 CDs. As you can see, this was definitely one of the most imaginative and captivating set pieces, and to think that it was made from salvaged materials! It was very cool sitting in the theater and picking out all the tiny outlines of common, everyday items. The originality and uniqueness of this set enhanced the wonderment of the play and is truly a testament to the art that can be created using recycled goods. Just by taking a look at the proscenium, it is no surprise that Ms. Werle took home the Tony in 2012 for Best Scenic Design. Click here to see Ms. Werle talk more about the creative process behind the sets.
3. The Production Committee helps make many common backstage tasks greener. In the production of Wicked for instance, the cast members now use reusable water bottles, and in Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, and the past production of Evita, disposable batteries were replaced with re-chargeable batteries, thus decreasing the amount of toxic waste produced. Wicked alone was able to decrease its battery usage from 15,000 batteries a year to fewer than 100! The Production Committee also organizes collection drives for textiles and e-waste so that the theaters and even the general public can recycle clothes, fabric, and old electronic devices. In the last five years alone, over 15 tons of e-waste have been collected along with thousands of pounds of textiles. Additionally, this committee runs the Binder Project, which allows people to borrow binders free of charge so that they do not have to buy brand new ones. Another creative opportunity for reducing one’s carbon footprint!
4. The Outreach Committee is committed to communicating the messages of the BGA to the public. It maintains a Twitter and Facebook page, the BGA website, and a quarterly newspaper, and it creates videos about the organization and ways to go green. This committee is very influential, because in 2012 it convinced the Tony Awards to use a recycled carpet and hybrid limousines. Pretty cool, right?
5. The Touring Committee focuses on the touring productions of shows and helps them reduce their carbon footprint while on the road. By switching to wind power and using methane digesters when moving their equipment across country, touring companies were able to save over 10,000 tons of carbon overall. Talk about decreasing one’s carbon footprint!
6. The Education Committee strives to spread greener practices in theater to high schools and colleges. Check out how your school can get involved here. With the spread of information comes awareness, and with every theater that goes green and with every new eco-friendly initiative put into place, no matter how small it may be, we are making the world a safer and greener place.

Sources:

Broadway Green Alliance “About Broadway Green Alliance” 2013

Elice, Rick. The Annotated Script of the Broadway Play Peter and the Starcatcher. Disney Editions. 2012. Print.

Galloway, Jordan “The Great White Way Goes Green” New York Daily News July 2, 2014

McElroy, Steven “The Great White Way Tries to Turn Green” The New York Times November 25, 2008

Logo: BGA website

Picture Credits:

Peter and the Starcatcher Proscenium Full View Picture and Peter and the Starcatcher Proscenium Recycled Material Detail Picture via Donyale Werle

Former NYC Mayor Bloomberg with the BGA Green Captains via BGA website