Environmental theatre

Arcola Theatre, which aims to become the world’s first carbon-neutral theatre, is using its current production of Ibsen’s ‘Enemy of the People’ (pictured) to demonstrate its commitment to low-level naturalistic stage lighting without compromising its artistic standards.

Lighting designer Michael Nabarro has used a combination of lower-wattage and lower-voltage tungsten light sources to trim overall power usage. In theory, lower-power sources should give a reduced lighting effect, but practice shows that this is not the case. Director Mehmet Ergen said, “The environmental impact of all theatre productions can be reduced without artistic compromise through careful choices and creativity. I urge all directors to demand not more light and bigger set budgets but the right light and the right set”. Zero-carbon theatre is discussed by Mhora Samuel on p12.