Sustainability for
the performing arts

SAPA is a dialogue-based self-assessment tool developed by the Wuppertal Institute together with the GREENSTAGE practice partners.

It supports performing arts organisations in assessing their current practice, identifying strengths and areas for development and developing measures across four dimensions: economy, ecology, social responsibility, and community, culture & communication.

The Zero Waste Stage Toolbox focuses on circular approaches to theatre production and the use of materials and resources.

It brings together strategies, measures, practical guidance and best-practice examples covering areas such as circular stage design, costumes, material flows, reuse, waste reduction and production processes.

The Zero Waste Stage Labs put the tools and approaches developed in GREENSTAGE into practice.

Partner organisations test them in theatre productions and at the Mladi Levi Festival in Ljubljana, generating practical experience with resource-efficient and circular production.

Local Policy Hubs bring cultural practitioners together with municipalities, public administration and policymakers in the participating cities.

They address the conditions that influence sustainable practice in the performing arts and develop recommendations from the experience of the project.

This work feeds into the Greenstage Manifesto, bringing the perspectives and recommendations developed across the partnership into a shared European policy document.

GREENSTAGE originated in the context of the NRW KULTURsekretariat.

Christiana van Osenbrüggen developed the project concept further, built the European partnership and prepared the Creative Europe application. Theater Oberhausen / City of Oberhausen subsequently took on the lead partnership.

Christiana van Osenbrüggen leads the project there today.