www.thestage.co.uk: The National Theatre has committed to using natural dye for all its future productions, which it will make from plants grown in its newly launched well-being garden.
The venue says the innovation marks a "clear statement" of its intention to improve its sustainability and "future-proof" its work in accordance with recommendations laid out in the Theatre Green Book.
6 comments:
This is a huge commitment to going green. Using natural dyes that have been processed by other people and purchased by the theatre company is already a huge step, but committing to a garden, processing the contents of the garden, and committing to only using those products is immense. Having the resources and support to be able to achieve this goal seems like a luxury to even think about. I’m happy to see that they are investing in the skills that not many generations ago were common knowledge. Knowing which plants result in which color, how to process them into a shelf-stable or immediate use medium, and teaching the people who will use them the best ways to get what they want out of it is a huge investment in the future of creators for a variety of future pathways. I already have a huge list of to be read (TBR) books, but I may have to add Theatre Green Book to my list.
I think it’s so cool that the National Theatre is striving to make more of their practices sustainable. It is one of the most significant theatres in London, and really the world. They are setting the standard for theatres across the globe. The National Theatre has always been known as an innovative environment that pushes the boundaries of what we think is possible in the theatre. This is a perfect example of that. I am so glad that they are investing in sustainability and the future! It can take a lot to commit to solely using the products of their garden, but in my opinion it will be worth it. I believe that we should be trying to preserve the Earth in any way possible. As a result, we and all of our following generations will be able to enjoy our beautiful planet as much as us! It’s also just pretty cool to say that all of your dyes were grown in house!
Of all the different ways that companies are going green I can confidently say that I have never heard of a company committing to using home-grown natural dyes. This is a very unique push that is also creating a very impactful statement that the theater is trying to help the world, and also its actors by using dyes that are not derived from chemicals and other not natural sources. I do wonder though how this will affect the theaters ability to create shows. Will the growing and processing of the dye lead to an increase in labor time and costs for the costume department, and the scenic / paints departments since the dyes will also be used in textiles. This move also makes me worry about designers who may want very specific colors in the costumes and set pieces they want in their show, and the sad truth that some of these colors may not be available to them given the natural dyes that the theater is now using.
A theatre growing its own natural dye is something that has never crossed my mind as an approach to creating more sustainable theatre, but it definitely sounds like a really neat plan. As we all know, theatre is pretty unsustainable, textiles are pretty unsustainable, and the combo of all of that stuff with synthetic dyes thrown in the mix just isn’t great. As cool as I think this is, I definitely have several questions that immediately pop up as logistical challenges for this. First of all, I’m assuming it will be pretty challenging to get a wide variety of colors, and while obviously dye colors can be mixed from primary colors, depending on the vibrancy and exact hue of those primary shades, it might be challenging to get the exact color a designer wants. That being said, obviously, the people doing this work are unbelievably talented at working with dyes and fabrics, but I am curious as to whether this will be a design constraint in the future.
I love this! I love the National Theatre! I love sustainability practices! I loved reading this article! It made me so happy and uplifted to read. Everything we read and see nowadays is about how the world is going to shit, and so it was so lovely to see a positive uplifting story about a theatre company that I enjoy the works that they create and put out. I know they have their controversies and problems like most theatre companies, but the work they create, I love, and I feel like it is the balance that is missing from the American theatre scene. I feel like the American theatre scene is all about spectacle, whereas I feel like the National Theatre really dives into what will serve the text, and their designs always feel way more grounded in the text. But I also love that they are starting this initiative, and I hope others follow closely behind them.
I think this is super awesome! I always think that it is very hard to truly add sustainable practices within theater since everything is usually custom made for a specific show and group of people; most things can't be used for more than that one production. This is a unique way that I hadn’t even considered but I can understand how this would be a bit of an uphill battle to get started but would end up as a net positive. It most likely will significantly reduce the cost of material as you are not purchasing from manufacturers, though it probably does increase the labor hours needed to keep it functional. It also doesn’t help with the sustainability of what to do with those dyed soft goods and fabrics after the fact, but it is definitely a step in a great and interesting direction. I also think gardening can be a relaxing and fun little break at work.
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