Theatres awarded grants for environmental sustainability

Nine UK theatres have been awarded grants totalling nearly £170,000 for environmental sustainability projects.

The project funding is through the latest round of the Theatre Improvement Scheme, which is run by Theatres Trust in partnership with the Wolfson Foundation.

Five theatres will receive funding to upgrade lighting to energy efficient LEDs.

The theatres are: Broadway Theatre, Catford; Centre Stage, Kilmarnock; The Courtyard Centre for the Arts, Hereford; Sherman Theatre, Cardiff; and Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds.

A further three theatres – Derby Theatre, New Wolsey, in Ipswich and The Old Fire Station, in Oxford – are installing LED lights and introducing timers, movement and light sensors in front and back of house areas.

A final grant will go to SPID Theatre in London, a housing justice project dedicated to creating “high quality community youth theatre on council estates”.

This grant is for a two-part project that will insulate windows and create ‘green walls’.

Theatres Trust director Joshua McTaggart said: “This round of the Theatre Improvement Scheme demonstrates the true range of cultural excellence found in these incredible theatres across our country.

“From a Theatre of Sanctuary, through to a learning theatre, and a building dedicated to working with those experiencing homelessness, these grants remind us that sustainability goes hand in hand with civic pride and empowering communities.”