Introduction to the Sustainable Production Toolkit
With Lauren Gaston and Sandra Goldmark
Location
Black Box Theatre
Date & Time
April 9, 2024, 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Description
As part of the Spring 2024 Plays for Our Planet initiative, UMBC Theatre presents an Introduction to the Sustainable Production Toolkit with Lauren Gaston and Sandra Goldmark.
Led by the authors of the Sustainable Production Toolkit, this talk and workshop introduces concrete tools and best practices for prioritizing the intertwined needs for greater environmental, social, and economic sustainability in the theatre industry. Attendees will be invited to participate in a hands-on mapping activity to consider how our work as theatre makers intersects with global climate challenges and work together to identify specific goals.
The Sustainable Production Toolkit equips performing arts organizations with tools and training to develop and implement environmental, social, and economic sustainability solutions. SPT aims to fulfill the three prongs of sustainability in theatre: 1) Ensure an antiracist, equitable, and inclusive community where all members can contribute, working in a healthy environment for fair and liveable wages and hours, 2) Protect our communities and the planet from degradation, through responsible and regenerative operating, design, and production practices, 3) Budgeting and season planning that supports sustained operations, livelihoods and equitable wages for staff and guest artists.
This event will be followed at 7:30 p.m. by a Student Design Workshop with Lauren Gaston and Sandra Goldmark.
Lauren Gaston is a costume designer, illustrator, entrepreneur, and climate advocate. Gaston develops the visual identity for companies around the world. Over the last decade, Lauren has designed 50+ productions across North & South America, Europe, and Asia. Her design work has been featured by The Juilliard School in NYC, The A.A. Bakruhshin State Theatre Museum in Russia and Time Lapse Dance in NYC. While Gaston currently calls New York City base camp, she is a woman at home in the world.
Sandra Goldmark is a designer and professor whose work focuses on the circular economy and interdisciplinary climate strategies. Goldmark is the Director of Sustainability and Climate Action and an Associate Professor of Professional Practice at Barnard College, and Senior Assistant Dean for Interdisciplinary Engagement at the Columbia Climate School. Goldmark teaches courses in sustainable design, circularity, and climate. Goldmark is a co-creator of the Sustainable Production Toolkit, a free climate action and sustainability resource for performing arts organizations, and serves on the Board of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, the BBC, The Sunday Times of London, The Daily News, Salon.com, and many more. A graduate of Harvard College and Yale University, Goldmark is the author of Fixation: How to Have Stuff without Breaking the Planet.
Admission is free. Please contact theatre@umbc.edu to reserve a seat.
The Black Box Theatre is easy to visit, with plenty of free parking. Please visit here for directions and parking information.
