New Links

So I thought it'd be a great time to list some links to some prominent people and organizations that have been working on much of the same research my thesis has been focused around:

First, the Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts. This is a newly formed organization that is apparently quite active in training, research, and archiving on ecologically sustainable practices in the arts. They have a great list of links to related sites, and is a substantial information web-hub on the subject.

Second, here's a fellow writing a book on the subject of ecologically-friendly production techniques. He's accumulated a truly impressive collection of research, all worth checking out (for example, this bit on London theatre.)

Thirdly, the Green Theater Initiative is another information web-hub, this one based out of New York.

Finally, here is a link for the newly-created Earth Matters On Stage festival at U of Oregon, Eugene. While the festival places much of it's focus on ecodrama and the presence of ecological issues in playwrighting, it also includes discussion of eco-friendly production.

Obviously, the focus of the above organizations and writers is on ecological issues, but bearing that in mind all of these websites are replete with useful contacts and resources. It's also worth noting two thoughts that occured to me:

First, that without exception, none of these sites were launched later than 2007 (most actually 2008.) Ecologically sustainable production is an idea quickly growing in credit and appeal amongst the larger theatre community. These issues are, mirroring the attention paid to ecological concerns in broader society, swiftly becoming mainstream.

Second, while more and more theaters are doing what they can to improve their own ecological footprint, they often do so while being isolated and unaware of what others theaters have done or are doing across the nation and the world. Many of the above websites state that one of the most notable reasons for their inception was to address this breakdown in communication and informational awareness. This is exceedingly important. Sound decision-making only happens when accompanied by sound informational awareness. And for theatre companies hesitating to implement what may seem like drastic and uncertain changes, they may find their minds set at ease and their path smoothed by learning about what other companies are doing.