Environmental Policy

PROSPERO THEATRE ENVIRONMENT POLICY

Prospero Theatre is committed to ensuring that our work has a minimal impact on the environment by following the simple principle: to reduce, reuse and recycle. We actively promote innovation to find ever more sustainable ways of working and to encourage good environmental practice beyond our buildings and productions.

Our Business

Prospero Theatre is a pioneering inclusive theatre company established in 2015. We are an inclusive theatre company that uses drama to improve the quality of life for adults and young people with disabilities and mental health conditions. Our dual purpose is artistic endeavour and socialisation and we believe the one feeds into the other. We work to improve the quality of life of each person by giving the opportunity to be creative, express emotions, work as a valid member of a team and have a voice. In the past, our organisation has been funded by numerous national and local associations, including National Lottery, The Art’s Council, Community Foundation for Surrey, and Tandridge Council.

We are a community interest company, reaching between 800-900 people a year either through our inclusive theatre activities or with our workshops in schools. Monday evenings, Prospero’s inclusive theatre company rehearse and perform devised plays. This is a touring company that has performed in many parts of the UK and is suitable for ages 18 and over. Saturday mornings we have a termly curriculum including tuition in acting technique, characterisation, voice, improvisation, physical theatre, singing and dance that is suitable for ages 14-18. Fridays we run Friday Club, led by specialist arts professionals trained to work with adults with disabilities that is suitable for ages 18 and over. In schools Prospero delivers Mind Fitness through drama workshops to help build confidence and reduce anxiety and stress. Prospero Theatre work in partnership with Mind Fitness to design and deliver projects to reduce stress and anxiety, reframe negative thinking, build resilience, release creativity and develop emotional controls. We also have formed Prospero’s Creative and Wellbeing Hub encompasses several creative activities and mental health support to help maintain the wellbeing of our community members. The activities include Tuesday’s sandwich meet up, Wednesday’s online Art for Wellbeing class and Thursday’s online inclusive Mindful Wellbeing. We have also have After Hours Club after Friday Club for members to either use laptops at the Arc or from their home for an hour of wellbeing, discussing topics from that members are encouraged to put forward.

Our commitment to environmental sustainability stems from our desire to run as cost effective operation as possible to maintain our financial sustainability but also to acknowledge our ethical duty as a publicly funded body and as an arts company committed to young adults and adults with disabilities at the heart of our activities. We have a responsibility to lead by example for the future of those we welcome as performers, audience and collaborators.

Our Impacts

Our organisation has several environmental impacts due to our specific activities, most of which can be creatively managed in an environmentally sustainable way whilst acknowledging our financial limitations.

In our Environmental Action plan we seek to detail our responses to include the following impacts:

  • Waste; recyclable, general waste
  • Energy use and carbon emissions
  • Water use
  • Procurement; the goods, services and contractors we choose
  • Travel; staff and visitors, service providers and delivery

Our environmental policies are in line with aiding Surrey County Council to achieve it’s environmental action plan:

  1. Embedding sustainability:we will include environmental considerations in decision making across council services
  2. Climate change resilience:we will work with partners to build the resilience of our communities and estate to climate impacts
  3. Operations and estate efficiency:we will make our buildings, operations and services as resource efficient and low cost as practicably possible
  4. Procurement:we will work with suppliers to reduce the environmental impact of the goods and services they deliver for us and reduce our supply chains exposure to environmental risks
  5. Air quality:we will reduce emissions from transport and improve air quality across the county through sustainable transport options

Our Commitments

  1. To establish a committed ‘Green Team’ which will meet quarterly and champion our environmental sustainability throughout the organisation
  2. To understand and monitor our environmental impacts via our Green Team
  3. To respond proactively to new legislation and keep abreast of best practice
  4. To utilise our Environmental Action Plan to track and measure our environmental impacts and our initiatives to reduce these
  5. To communicate and celebrate our aims and initiatives with all staff and visitors
  6. To save money by reducing our waste, energy and water consumption which will then be reinvested into our organisation
  7. To ensure that environmental considerations are paramount on all procurement especially facilities improvements, set construction, technical equipment, marketing materials and office and washroom consumables
  8. To offer vegetarian and vegan options as part of our menu to offer members more sustainable dietary options for Friday Club
  9. All our props are from recycled materials and we use LED lighting. When we carry out outdoor plays we make sure that we do not impact the environment and show our appreciation for nature
  10. We encourage all our community partners to follow similar commitments

This policy is reviewed annual by our Green Team and submitted for ratification by our Board at its April quarterly meeting

This Environmental Policy is endorsed by:

Beth Wood, Artistic Director and Emma Starr