Most waste planning can be done in prep based on early decisions. Crews need to trust that they can bring sustainable ideas/options to creative heads with confidence.

Encourage your departments to use their local networks to share the availability of materials. A production that is winding down is a great resource for buying second-hand items at reduced costs.

Who to Talk To and What to Ask For

Studio Asset Managers

  • Ask if other productions are wrapping and looking to get rid of their materials.
  • Discuss which donation facilities are already approved by the studio.
  • Discuss what is required to donate to a specific organization and ensure all documentation is in place prior to wrap.

All Department Heads

  • Make a plan during pre-production to creatively design to prioritize reuse (also known as circularity) in Production, Art Direction, Construction, Costume Design, Set Dressing and Props.
  • Reduce materials by reducing options. Plan efficiently to avoid unnecessary purchasing, hauling and returning, which can also streamline labor and fuel.
  • Encourage department heads to “shop at home”, sharing materials instead of sending them to the landfill.
  • Consider using materials that can be re-purposed at the end of the show to avoid landfill. For example, avoid each department ordering fresh plywood. The same sheet of plywood can have its primary use by the construction department, be passed onto the grips for secondary use, and then ultimately the locations department, which will use it to protect surfaces.
  • Build in time at the end of production for a sustainable wrap. Ask departments to identify sets, props, materials, and costumes that can be sold or donated to local nonprofit organizations such as schools, theater groups, and shelters.

Production Designer, Art Department, Construction Department

  • Encourage the reuse and the repurposing of sets.
  • Empower your Art Department to design and build for reuse and/or donation.
  • Design for modular sets that can be re-configured into multiple swing sets over the course of the production.
  • Have a sustainable strike plan for donating or selling items to keep them in the circular economy.

Costume Designer

  • Empower the Costumes Department to source vintage or second-hand items.
  • Ask them to design an actor’s closet with reuse in mind.
  • Rent costumes over purchasing new whenever possible.
  • Have a sustainable wrap plan to sell or donate inventory at the end of production.
  • Ask Production Finance/Accounting if there are any guidelines for creative purchasing and selling. This often requires purchasing through online circular marketplace sites with cash.
  • Check with your production and costumes crew about the work their union’s Green Committees are doing around waste, circularity and research on materials that have been vetted for sustainability.