The Slovenia Times

Maribor theatre part of sustainability experiment

Culture

Maribor - The SNG Maribor theatre will test radical solutions for the challenges of climate change over the next four years as part of an international project called Sustainable Theatre Alliance for a Green Environmental Shift (Stage).

The project, which has received EUR 2 million from the EU, features 14 partners - Europe's leading theatres. They will test solutions to reduce their carbon footprint in international guest appearances, introduce social and financial change sand involve scientists and local audiences in the artistic process.

The project comes at a time when theatres urgently need new ways to become resilient and inclusive after two years of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, they are equally committed to making up for lost time in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, SNG Maribor said.

Stages builds on the work of the Swiss Theatre Vidy-Lausanne, one of the partners in the project, which has spent several years exploring how to apply in the theatre process a concept that creates a framework for humanity's success while saving the planet.

The Swiss theatre linked up with British director Katie Mitchell and French choreographer Jerome Bel to test how to make a production on climate emergency and stage it in Lausanne without any of the artists involved having to travel anywhere. Both artists made a commitment never to travel by plane again.

The Theatre Vidy-Lausanne worked with the competence centre for sustainable development University of Lausanne to transform the concept's ideas in a process of self-analysis for the theatre.

The partners have committed to rethinking the touring process by re-producing two shows using local casts, local sets and even electricity generated on stage.

The productions are a monologue for the living at a time of extinction - a dedicated eco-feminist monologue by Miranda Rose Hall, directed by Katie Mitchell, and an auto-bio-choreography Jerome Bel.

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