I thought it might be worth putting something on my website about my beliefs and expectations. I’ll doubtless keep honing this text, because ideas shouldn’t be forced to stand still, but here goes…

Central to ecological thinking is acknowledging the profound connectedness of… well… everything. Another way of looking at this is as a rejection of the lies that are foundational to the societies most of us live in; the lies that reassure us our actions have no consequences beyond our immediate intentions, that our waste can be thrown completely away, that we can extract resources forever, that we can grow without limits…

We need to face facts and take responsibility, but how we change the world is not by alienating people with scary stats and guilt. That’s clearly not working. Instead, it’s by coming together to develop a more open and honest relationship with the ecosystems in which we live. On the one hand, this isn’t easy because (a) we’re part of something infinitely vast and complex and (b) we’re all trapped in our heads anyway. On the other, it’s pretty straightforward. We know a lot of this stuff instinctively and where we don’t, there’s a great deal of expertise out there. The challenge is connecting to it, rather than hiding from it. The arts can help with that on many levels.

That’s a huge topic which, despite being central to my ideas, I’m skating over, at least for now. I’ll just say that, on a practical note, this means trying to make work that at a minimum uses circular design principles and has no negative impacts either on the natural environment or on society. And then, after you’ve built that as a foundation, striving to be regenerative, ie to have a proactive positive impact. In my day-to-day work, with all its pressures and limitations, I’m still struggling consistently to reach the most basic level, but I’m determined to get there. And beyond.

I reckon I give about a day a week on a voluntary basis to the various projects I’m involved with that are pushing for a more ecologically-minded performing arts sector, and I hope that the people I work with will value this work and share the same aspirations, even if they don’t have the privilege (in my case, a small regular income from educational work) that allows me to give some of my time for free.

(Don’t worry – it’s a day a week on average, I’m available full-time when a show’s close to opening!)

As a founder and director of Ecostage (the successor to the 2015 Ecostage Pledge), and as an advisor and activist in the theatre sector and beyond, I strive to work by the Ecostage principles. Taking the pledge and sharing this fact on my emails, invoices, website etc. not only signals commitment, it also brings solidarity. It really helped my ideas crystalise as well, since I felt more need to articulate them. Please have a look at the site, take the pledge and be part of the community: Ecostage.

Another part of my voluntary work is the Sustainable Design Working Group of the Society of British Theatre Designers, which I helped co-found and now co-ordinate. We bring designers together to discuss issues and learn from experts, we undertake some research, we’ve developed design-focused carbon literacy training, and we make sure designers are represented in national and international conversations about sustainability in the performing arts. In this role, and as an Ecostage director, I’ve spoken on various panels: my speech at the National Theatre’s Making Theatre Green event is on my blog. I’m also on the Environmental Responsibility Subcommittee for Queens Theatre Hornchurch; a venue which despite the many challenges facing such places, is truly committed to working by ethical and environmental values. Outside of the performing arts, I’m involved with the Green Party.

We must also look after each other and ourselves as workers in a highly precarious, pressured and stressful industry. One problem we often find is ‘mission creep’, where we end up doing work beyond the job we’re paid for. Equity’s job descriptions are a useful way to get a grip on what it’s OK to be asked to do, and what’s not. You can find links to the various descriptions here: Directors and Designers Committee. I often find that people expect a designer also to be a builder, costume shopper, prop maker, video programmer… In other words, they want a whole team for the price of one freelancer. This is not the way.

In this vein, I expect to be paid properly for my work, have my job description respected, get per diems and decent accommodation when I work away, work to a schedule with breaks and reasonable hours, and be reimbursed for additional costs (like assistants and model boxes). Bear in mind I already have to cover my freelance overheads such as studio rent. As well as the face-value aspects of design and all my experience, I bring a commitment to serving the text, dramaturgical care and careful research – these things take time.

I also expect the team to make a reasonable collective effort to make the production as green as it can realistically be. I’d suggest producing companies and houses use the Green Book, starting at the baseline level and working from there. Ecostage provides support for individual creatives – take a look at the Seven Intersecting Guiding Principles, and choose one or two to get started with. For those working with set or costume, the SBTD’s carbon literacy training is designed for you – it’s being piloted now and should be ready in early 2023. I’m always very happy to discuss any of this ahead of taking on a job if that’s useful, or even not connected to a job if you’re interested in the work of Ecostage or the SBTD.

In terms of a philosophical basis, I can wax lyrical about a great many books (and I may well compile a reading list one day) but for a quick and exhilarating read, I’m a massive fan of Timothy Morton’s Being Ecological. I also love Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics (check out doughnuteconomics.org for practical applications). John Holloway’s Crack Capitalism is another personal source of inspiration. So is Postdramatic Theatre by Hans-Thies Lehmann, which, while not directly about how to make theatre more sustainable, is a kind of manifesto for artistic truthfulness. It documents and analyses an approach to theatre-making that I find aesthetically, intellectually and ecologically exciting.

One of the ideas I find most resonates with me is that of Ubuntu, which Desmond Tutu described thusly:

One of the sayings in our country is Ubuntu – the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can’t be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality – Ubuntu – you are known for your generosity. We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole World. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.

The idea that we are not fully ourselves without acknowledging our connection to other people, and how what we do affects them, seems to me the basis of ethical and ecological thinking, except that I’d argue it needs to be expanded to our connection with more-than-human world as well.

OK, that’s enough for now. For further reading and a wealth of online resources, I’d again direct you to Ecostage. Well, I would, wouldn’t I?

I’ve also written, and will continue to write, much more about these ideas and more on my blog – so do please keep an eye on that.

If you still want to work with me, give me a shout!