London Calling

photo credit: www.alicepeperell.com

It’s exciting times for London Calling’s sustainability partners Arcola Theatre, who recently unveiled their plans to create a brand new eco-theatre in East London.

Following a feasibility study funded by the London Development Agency the project will be the UK’s first major arts venue to place environmental sustainability at the core of all stages of construction, operations and programming.

Executive Director at Arcola, Dr Ben Todd, described the vision as an aim “to create a place Da Vinci might call home where creative people across multiple disciplines drive innovation for a sustainable and equitable future.”

The expanded Arcola Theatre will include:

• A main house theatre seating 350 (500 standing), suitable for mid-scale theatre and opera productions
• 150 and 80 seat black-box studio theatres, similar to those Arcola already run
• An extensive foyer, spilling out on to the public realm, with bar/cafe/restaurant and informal meeting spaces
• Incubator units for scientists and engineers developing sustainable technologies
• A Bike Hub with storage and change facilities, close to public transport nodes
• Public garden and growing spaces

The architecture and engineering design for Future Arcola will be coordinated by Arup Associates, whose iconic projects include Sydney Opera House and the Birds Nest and Water Cube stadiums for the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

There’s never been a greater demand for clear and practical information on the best ways we can all help London’s theatres go green. That’s why I’m especially delighted to have been invited to represent London Calling as a green theatre supplier at the forthcoming Greening Your Theatre workshop at Arcola Theatre Friday 23rd October, 10am to 12.30pm.

The event is designed to introduce the latest schemes and subsidies, offers networking opportunities with expert advisors and green theatre suppliers and should see you coming away with a clear picture of of what next steps are right for you and the best ways to get the support you need.

Better yet, it’s completely free to attend. You still need to register though and you can do that by emailing Janie Neumann to reserve a space – london@green-business.co.uk or 0845 863 0770

Speakers are:

• Mhora Samuel of the Theatres Trust on their new ECOVENUE initiative
• Jon Proctor, Technical Director of LDA-sponsored Green Tourism for London
• Ben Todd, Executive Director of Arcola Theatre and Arcola Energy
• Alison Tickell of Julie’s Bicycle, on Greening Theatres and how all of the greening support programmes fit together

The workshop is supported by the London Development Agency, Arcola Theatre, The Theatres Trust and the Society of London Theatre.

Planning your journey to Arcola Theatre can be checked here: Traveling to Arcola Theatre

As a part of the Mayor of London’s Green Theatre programme, London Calling have distributed a report summary to all London Theatres. The report which involves many influential people in the cultural community including The Theatre Trust, National Theatre and Arcola Theatre, highlights key points from the full report published in September 2008. The aim is to support theatres in reducing their carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2025. The report offers advice and tips on the actions to take in order to achieve this target. It’s worth noting that the theatre industry in London is not a large contributor to carbon emissions but whilst reducing its own emissions it’s believed to be the ideal catalyst to show audiences and other industries what can be done.

The summary and full report can be downloaded at www.greeningtheatres.com where you can also download a carbon calculator.