In late 2018, Under the umbrella of Julie's Bicycle and ACE's Accelerator Programme, we brought together a wonderful collection of forward thinking touring companies and receiving venues - the Sustainable Touring Group - to look into how we can all help make theatre touring more sustainable. We recently put our focus on collaboration, and dug deep into the areas and issues we can and need to work together on - with some revealing results!

We dealt with marketing - where something as simple as a bit more of a conversation between touring companies and their tour venues could save tonnes of wasted, unwanted flyers being shipped around the country, not to mention the unnecessary cot of disposing of them!

And we looked at some some things that are perhaps not so obvious from outside - not many venues are yet set up to monitor how much electricity a specific show uses - if venues and companies were able to see data like that maybe they’d be more interested (and more able!) to reduce the power a show uses, or even it out over the evening to reduce big peaks, which the power companies would really like, and would help them balance the grid as more renewables join the mix. Speaking of which, how many theatres and companies have a renewable-only power contract? Not enough! Maybe if we clubbed together we could negotiate an amazing deal across the board!

It turns out that a lot of the things we’re all trying to work on become much harder if they’re not instigated right from the start of planning a tour - so we need to move the sustainability conversation right up to agenda. We need both parties to make a shared commitment to work together sustainability in the deal memo, well before we get to sign a contract - so much of our work on both sides is already well underway by then, and we need to set the parameters, and be clear what we care about with each other, before it’s too late and we’re snowed under with the admin!

There are areas we can’t action much yet - we’re beholden to national government policy and waiting with bated breath for better public transport and green trucks - but are many things we can, must, and I believe will, do, and fast! A lot of this really isn’t rocket science, it’s just a better way of working, of doing what we love, and of reaching audiences with brilliant, life changing work!

The Sustainable Touring Group is made up of the brilliant Blackpool Grand Theatre Blackpool, Improbable, Lyric Hammersmith, New Adventures & Storyhouse, alongside Metta, and is supported by Julie’s Bicycle under the first cohort of the Accelerator Programme.