Sustainable Production for the Arts

Watch the recording of our July 2021 webinar exploring ‘sustainable’ production practices for the arts and cultural sector.

Creative Green Lead, Graciela Melitsko Thornton hosts a panel of green production leaders sharing their expertise and practical tips.

Guest speakers:

Paddy Dillon

Paddy Dillon is an award-winning theatre architect. He is deputy chair of the UK’s Theatres Trust, and chairs the International Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference. In May 2020, he began the Theatre Green Book, an initiative to help UK Theatres move towards sustainability, building on the work of Julie’s Bicycle and others to help create a single approach for the sector. The Theatre Green Book has united theatre-makers of all kind. The first volume, Sustainable Productions, is now in use. The remaining volumes, Sustainable Buildings, and Sustainable Operations will be published later in 2021.

Feimatta Conteh

Feimatta is the Environmental Sustainability Manager for the Manchester International Festival. She has worked across sustainability, technology development, digital culture and the arts for over 15 years, for organisations including the LSE, Arcola Theatre, Arcola Energy and FutureEverything. She is a trustee of Artsadmin and Invisible Dust. Outside of work, Feimatta is deeply involved with an educational children’s camping charity – she enjoys building communities and helping young people interact with nature.

Nathan Jackson

Walk the Plank is one of the UK’s leading outdoor arts specialists with nearly 30 years’ experience working with artists and communities to create amazing work in the public realm. Since 2009 Nathan has led the development of Walk the Plank’s sustainability strategy. Walk the Plank is a keen advocate for sustainable practice in the outdoor arts sector and is committed to a wide range of initiatives aiming to reduce the environmental impact of their productions. The company approaches sustainability like its health and safety responsibilities – crucial, non-negotiable and an integral part of the event production process. Walk the Plank produces Manchester Day, a parade that is pushed, pulled, cycled and recycled and won a 4* Creative Green award from Julie’s Bicycle in 2019. As an active member of the Manchester Arts Sustainability Team (MAST) they work collectively with other cultural organisations in Greater Manchester to pursue best sustainable practices in support of the region’s zero carbon aims.