The National Theater wants more sustainable productions

The pilot project, in which the procedures proposed in the document were tested, was the February production of Ještě chvilku (Just a Moment). Director Anna Klimešová did not hesitate for long before deciding to join the project. She herself is closely involved with the issue of climate responsibility and has been working in independent theater for a long time, where waste is naturally limited for economic reasons alone. "It's not that every production in itself has such an impact, but in total it can bring about some change," she tells me on the phone. At the same time, she emphasizes that the support of dramaturge Nina Jacques, who also came up with the idea of joining The Theatre Green Book initiative, was crucial for her. "As a creator, you don't want to limit your imagination with some sustainability chart," she explains, describing the concerns that theater professionals may face. "But Nina communicated everything and explained why certain things are important. It all made sense."

Her words about communication being the foundation are confirmed by Tamara Čuříková, deputy director for concept, development, and transformation at the National Theater. "In the future, we would like to introduce a so-called briefing meeting, where we would present the technical and material possibilities of the theater for recycling to the creative teams before they start working on a production," she explains the steps she wants to take to strengthen sustainability in the production process. "It is important that creatives see sustainability not as a limitation on their creative activity, but as a challenge," she adds.

Anna Klimešová understands concerns that a climate-responsible approach will affect the creative process. "Ultimately, it's about thinking about whether you really need something, whether it's worth having something shipped from China, and whether it will really have the effect you want. Theatre Green Book doesn't forbid you from ordering such a thing, but rather holds up a mirror and allows you to reflect." Time and timely planning are key factors for sustainable creation.

The reuse of materials is, in the truest sense of the word, a cycle and requires foresight—after all, storage space is not limitless, so it is necessary to decide before the final performance which parts of the set design will be reused. The material bank project simplifies access to stored items, providing a better overview of usable props or parts of decorations. Creators can now use an online furniture catalog with more than 6,000 items. All these steps are designed to make the work of production teams easier, but adherence to the principles of sustainability is voluntary and depends on the willingness of individuals and the overall attitude of the ensemble.

"The Drama Department is very open to sustainability, and the current management considers this issue to be very important," Tamara Čuříková gives as an example. After all, the procedures introduced by the Theatre Green Book are not so much a commitment as an inspiration – although they do involve some extra work, both in the planning phase and in the subsequent evaluation. "It smacks of bureaucracy. Everyone has to learn and get their bearings, but in the end, it's not so bad," Anna Klimešová sums up her experience, adding that theater must reflect the social situation in which it is created.

However, the road to responsible theater operations is far from over. According to Tamara Čuříková, a necessary prerequisite for further development is to define the principles that sustainable productions should follow and to establish uniform tools for evaluation.

This is the immediate task of the working group on sustainability, which would like to introduce the principles of a climate-responsible process as part of employment contracts with creative teams.

The topic of sustainability resonates in today's society, which is why we also addressed it during this year's Theater Night. During a 24-hour marathon, three young visual artists processed various leftover materials from productions for which no other use could be found. And so, throughout the day and night, in the theatre and in the presence of the public, they cut, drilled, glued and sewed, but also talked, had fun and danced.

Sculptor Amélie Dolanská, designer Kryštof Bača, and artist Ondřej Plíva presented the resulting works of art at the final vernissage. Leftover material from theater operations is also a valuable source for the now traditional collection of ND Up theater merchandise, which this year has been expanded to include hand-sewn oversized jackets. It would be difficult to find better proof that the saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure" is not an empty cliché.

Jana B. Hniličková

* The article was originally published in the National Theater's internal newsletter.