We are pleased to once again offer the College Green Captain prize to an outstanding student Green Captain who has helped their campus theatre department get meaningfully greener. Please go here for more information. The deadline is March 1, 2016. 

Chapter Report: Chicago Green Theatre Alliance

On October 2 and 3, 2015 the Chicago Green Theatre Alliance (CGTA) collected cast-off costumes from several large theatres including Steppenwolf, Northlight and Writers Theatre. This collection of costumes and textiles was offered to member companies of the League of Chicago Theatres and local designers. Many happy people left with armloads of costumes, delighted that they had some beautiful and useful pieces that would help them immensely in their upcoming seasons. After all the exchanging was done, the leftover costumes and textiles were bagged up and taken away to be recycled through Chicago Textile Recycling. 45% of donated items are worn as second hand clothing. 30% of donated items are recycled into wiping cloths. 15% of donated items are reprocessed into fibers. More than one full gaylord of e-waste was also collected at the event. This was the CGTA’s second drive of the year. Last May, CGTA collected 2.5 tons of electronic waste from theatres all over Chicago. Not only did this e-waste get recycled responsibly, but was done at no cost to theatres and freed up space for them! CGTA is committed to bringing Chicago theatres these drives every year with the goal of providing free, responsible recycling and reuse options to theatres.

The Broadway Green Alliance is happy to announce a new program with lcon Parking providing free valet bike parking at two midtown locations.

lcon, the largest parking company in NYC, is now working to be the most environmentally friendly parking company as well. They are working on a large initiative to become a paperless parking provider and working on programs for car sharing, electric car charging stations, mobile valet services, parking reservations and, of particular interest to BGA members, bike parking. lcon will provide any BGA member with FREE BIKE PARKING at the two locations below if you return the claim ticket with a BGA sticker on it.

For free bike parking your claim ticket must be validated with a BGA sticker on the back. Stickers are available in advance from the BGA office (165 West 46th St., Suite 1312 M-F 10-6) or from a Broadway show’s Green Captain.

Participating Icon locations:
lcon – Mercury Parking LLC
350 West 50th Street
Between 8th & 9^th
Entrances at 350 West 50th or 355 West 49th St.

lcon – Matinee 52 LLC
810 7th Avenue
Between Broadway & 7th Ave
Entrances at 207 West 52^nd St. or 1676 Broadway

                            Go toBroadwayGreen.com/Icon for FAQs and more information.

BGA gives out first ever Off-Off Broadway Greening Grants

The Broadway Green Alliance awarded $2,500 to fund greening projects in the Off-Off Broadway or Independent theater community. The goal is to support environmentally friendly projects and activities, and to communicate about those programs to a broader audience. We received an outstanding group of proposals and are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2015 Off-Off Broadway/Independent greening grants.

These grants are designed to encourage an independent venue, company, or producer to initiate a specific greener change.The theaters received the grants for projects including LED lighting upgrades, bathroom upgrades, and switches to digital from paper.

The recipients of the 2015 Independent greening grants are: Superhero Clubhouse, Access Theater, Page 73, Movement Theater, and Theatre for a New City. Congratulations!

And speaking of biking…

Bike the 5 Boroughs with the BGA!

We are happy to announce that the BGA has once again been picked as a Charity Partner for the 2016 TD Five Boro Bike Ride run by non-profit Bike NY. We have ten spots for this popular 40-mile ride, on Sunday, May 1st, that goes through each borough. The money we raise from this event funds many of our events and projects, including our Off-Broadway and independent theater greening grants. Email rsale@broadwaygreen.com if you’d like to join our team.

BroadwayCon is coming!

BroadwayCon is the first-ever convention for fans of Broadway and theater,
scheduled for January 22-24, 2016 at the New York Hilton Midtown. BroadwayCon will feature workshops, panels, performances, sing-alongs and interviews. We are organizing a session on Broadway Going Green. Several of our Broadway Green Captains will participate in a panel on how they keep it green on the great white way. We will also be selling BGA green merchandise at the event.  You can find more information at broadwaycon.com

Designing & Sourcing Green:

The Greenhouse Ensemble’s “Danny and the Deep Blue Sea”The Greenhouse Ensemble’s production of John Patrick Shanley’s “Danny and the Deep Blue Sea” comes to the Upper West Side this week. Directed by Drama Desk and Obie Award winning and Broadway alum Austin Pendleton, the production features a greener approach to its set design.

The Greenhouse ensemble’s experimental nature lent itself to conceptualizing the show in a sustainable manner, and the artistic staff took a risk visually with BGA member & set designer Joseph Napolitano’s ideas. “The main challenge is sourcing specific materials,” Napolitano says. “Once you create a design and it’s on paper, you’ve made a commitment to it. You and your team have to find the salvaged pieces to make it work.” The pieces for this show have all had a former life. The design calls for swaths of material which were sourced from a non-Equity tour, and cut and dyed to the appropriate sizes and color. Metallic Mylar finishes that are applied to portions of the set were collected from theaters and universities on the east coast and brought to the city for use. Finally, the team came to the idea of installing clotheslines above the set, filling the space’s height with familiar imagery of a densely populated, derelict metropolis. The lines are filled with garments and fabric selected within a specific color palette. These clothes will be given to local thrift shops after the show closes. Once the show finishes up in NYC, it tours with dates starting as early as late December in Michigan. For tickets, go here  and take advantage of the Greenhouse Ensemble’s commitment to greener and affordable theater.

If you are interested in greener materials for your next project, check some of these places for sustainable sourcing:

• Materials for the Arts (mfta.org)
• BIG Reuse (formerly Build It Green) (bigreuse.org)
• tdf Costume Collection ((https://www.tdf.org/nyc/30/tdf-costume-collection)
• Art Cube (http://artcube.nyc/cities/), the film and theater list serve
• Craig’s List, Goodwill, thrift shops
• And the book “A Practical Guide to Greener Theatre” (http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Greener-Theatre-Sustainability/dp/0415663245. Amazon even has rental copies!).