Last year New Adventures partnered with Julie's Bicycle - a charity that encourages and supports the creative community to act on climate change. Since then we have been working alongside Julie's Bicycle to embed good practice around environmental sustainability. New Adventures' UK tour of Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake began in September 2018 and is the first Creative Green Certified Tour.
Our Green Adventures initiative has championed this work by taking steps to challenge behaviour and support our community to think creatively about green initiatives. Throughout the UK tour of Swan Lake, we've sought to reduce our direct environmental impacts and used the opportunity wherever possible to advocate to audiences and touring venues.
Read on for our green adventure from the Swan Lake 18/19 UK Tour to find out what we have achieved:
CREATIVE GREEN PIONEER AWARD
New Adventures became the first UK touring company to receive the Creative Green Touring certification for taking action on climate and the environment and was awarded the Creative Green Pioneer Award.
Paule Constable, Associate Artist said: "As a New Adventures Associate Artist I am proud to be one of their green champions as they become the first UK touring company to receive Creative Green Touring certification, and as the inaugural recipient of the Green Pioneer Award. I try to be as environmentally aware as possible from cycling to recycling but I'm equally passionate about trying to make my working life as environmentally responsible. I look forward to working closely with New Adventures during the tour of Swan Lake to advocate for and encourage sustainability."
GOING GREEN WITH NEW ADVENTURES MERCHANDISE
In 2018 we were proud to launch our online shop and with that the New Adventures Go Green range which encourages our community to reduce waste by opting out of single use items. In addition to this, 25p from every reusable bottle and keep cup we sell online goes towards The Wildlife Trusts that work to make life better - for wildlife, for people and for future generations.
THE STAGE 100
We were pleased to be listed in The Stage 100's most influential people working in the theatre and performing arts industry. Matthew Bourne and New Adventures were listed at 26, recognised for both our work on and off stage with Swan Lake. We were especially proud to get recognition as the first touring company to work with Julie's Bicycle on a Creative Green Touring certification.
Right next to Matthew at 27 was Paule Constable, a New Adventures Associate Artist, Swan Lake Lighting Designer and Green Champion for the company.
NORWICH THEATRE ROYAL
During Swan Lake’s performance week in Norwich we were busy behind the scenes working in partnership with green representatives from Norwich Theatre Royal and Sadler’s Wells on the ACE Accelerator Programme – a new arts sustainability programme funded by Julie’s Bicycle and Arts Council England. Our three organisations are collaborating over an 18-month period to look at the different ways we can encourage environmentally-friendly thinking within the UK touring theatre industry.
Watch the video below to see what we got up to during our Green Adventures at Norwich Theatre Royal!
The more we can educate our audiences, as we are doing through our programmes this week, means that with all those thousands of people we get to perform to, we can try to end a message about trying to be eco-friendly, which I think is very important.
Andrew Ashton (Dancer and New Adventures Green Champion)
Norwich Theatre Royal has been working with Julie’s Bicycle for eight years gaining Four Star certification for green initiatives which include turning off unnecessary lighting and stage equipment when not in use and keeping the wastage of theatre programmes to a minimum.
Helen Tully, one of the front-of-house managers leading the venue’s in-house green team, said: “Working with New Adventures on the new touring certification means we can encourage others within the industry who are touring and coming to our venues to think about the environment and being more sustainable, and together we can reduce our environmental impact.”
