Greening the Theatre Royal
'Greening' the Theatre Royal
Our 'green journey'
Theatre Royal Waterford is now actively working to reduce its impact on the environment, in collaboration with a range of partners. We are part of the Green Arts Initiative in Ireland’s new Greening Venues pilot project, which is working to reduce the carbon footprint of a group of venues around the country by addressing issues such as energy usage, waste management, biodiversity, and water usage.
We’ve conducted an environmental audit and implemented recommendations to support us in reducing the theatre’s carbon footprint and promoting sustainable artistic performance.
The first step on Theatre Royal’s transformational ‘green journey’ is the creation of a Shakespearian-inspired ‘All the World’s a Climate Stage’ urban biodiversity garden adjacent to our landmark building, thanks to the support of the ESB Brighter Future Arts Fund and Business to Arts and in partnership with Waterford City and County Council, led by horticulturist Eoin Dullea and his team.
As part of the project, artist Elaine McDonough of Newgrange Willow Design has created a large-scale willow and recycled metal pollinator sculpture in the garden. Both the garden and the sculpture were inspired by nature but also theatrical performance and Theatre Royal’s rich heritage: the theme ‘All the World’s a Climate Stage’ is a play on Shakespeare’s famous line ‘All the World’s a Stage’, from his comedy play ‘As You Like It’, which was first performed at Theatre Royal on the building’s opening evening in 1785.
The sculpture will, over time, itself be populated with pollinators, acting as a natural urban habitat for insects/butterflies/birds to thrive into the future, in line with the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan. By creating this garden – and embarking upon their ‘green journey’ – we’re hoping artists and audiences will also be inspired to ‘play their part’ in supporting and protecting the environment.
Help us on our green journey
There are a number of baby step initiatives that you can assist us with while visiting the theatre:
- Refill your water bottles at the available water fountains – please ask a member of staff to direct you
- Recycle in the appropriate bins provided
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