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Performing Arts

Performing arts can serve as a space for experimentation, a role model, and a pioneer in society’s sustainability transition. At the same time, it is essential for the performing arts sector to develop its own practices to become more sustainable.

Robert Seger

In the field of performance art, sustainability is seen both as a condition for working and as a comprehensive goal that encompasses the production of performances, venues, touring, material choices, working methods, and artistic content. In recent years, a growing number of performing arts professionals have started to steer their activities in a more sustainable direction.

The performing arts as a whole encompass a wide range of operators, from suitcase-sized puppet theatres to institutions like the Finnish National Opera and Ballet. The sector includes not only theatres but also dance groups and production centres, circus groups, experimental performance art, live art, and performance art.

Performing arts organizations are generally divided into those receiving funding under the State Subsidy Act (VOS organizations) and those operating outside state funding (independent or “free field” actors). According to the latest statistics from Theatre Info Finland (TINFO), in 2023 the total recorded audience for performing arts was approximately 3.5 million, with independent theatre productions accounting for 300,000 of those spectators. There were a total of 20,145 performances.

The performing arts sector comprises many different professional roles and job descriptions, each with its own responsibilities in advancing sustainability both within the field and inside its own organization. Leadership and administration create strategies and policies, while planning and implementation staff make concrete sustainability decisions in their daily work. Those working in production can influence sustainability by scheduling and allocating resources in ways that make environmental work a central part of the production process. Artists and artistic designers affect sustainability through the content of their work and by taking responsibility for the environmental impacts of their artistic choices. Communication professionals can share inspiring sustainability stories, and audience outreach teams can involve and invite audiences to participate in environmental efforts. Advancing sustainability requires action from both the top down and the bottom up—at the levels of both strategy and practical implementation.

Audience Travel Is the Largest Source of Emissions

The environmental impact of organizations and operators of different sizes in the performing arts varies depending on the nature of their activities. In addition, the resources available for monitoring and documenting environmental impact differ significantly. Emissions calculation is a tool for understanding, developing, and tracking one’s environmental impact, helping identify key focus areas. A carbon footprint can be assessed using existing calculators, such as the one found on the Elma.live website, which is tailored to the music and performing arts sectors.

The urgent action required by the climate crisis calls for clear and measurable targets to ensure activities are heading in the right direction. However, it is equally important to understand the environmental impact of different choices and to adopt more sustainable practices. In the performing arts sector, not every operator needs to precisely calculate their carbon footprint before taking action. For instance, the Theatre Green Book and its European adaptation, the ETC Theatre Green Book, offer guidance for starting environmental work in the performing arts. The guide is divided into three parts: productions, buildings, and operations. A shortened and partially translated version is also available in Finnish as Teatterin vihreä kirja.

There is no comprehensive study on the environmental impact of the entire performing arts sector in Finland, but individual organizational studies provide insight into the main sources of emissions. So far, the most detailed calculations have been carried out by the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, which calculated its carbon footprint for the first time in 2020 based on its 2019 operations. According to the findings, the most significant source of emissions was audience travel, accounting for 63% of total emissions. Within the organization’s own operations, the largest emissions stemmed from purchased goods and services, which made up 21% of total emissions.

In the performing arts—and the wider events industry—audience travel is the primary source of emissions, mainly due to the use of fossil fuels for transportation. These should be replaced with more sustainable alternatives. Although audience travel is an indirect emission source that performing arts organizations cannot directly control, experiments and communication targeting this area can have significant impact.

For example, Turku City Theatre encourages the audience to use public transport by including a local bus ticket with the theatre ticket. Other creative experiments can also yield results. In 2023, Perth Concert Hall in Scotland, in collaboration with the sustainability organization Culture For Climate Scotland, ran a project where a hired community artist worked creatively with audiences to promote more sustainable travel options to and from the venue.

Sustainable Use of Materials and Circular Economy in the Performing Arts

In the performing arts, the use of materials and the generation of waste are associated with significant environmental impacts. The field’s unique characteristic of temporality presents both challenges and opportunities for material circulation. The creative reuse and repurposing of materials have traditionally been a core part of the craftsmanship involved in performance-making. Integrating circular economy thinking more deeply into the production and design processes is central to achieving ecological sustainability in the performing arts.

The Finnish National Opera and Ballet has systematically worked to increase its recycling rate and introduced creative, environmentally responsible design solutions such as modular set elements. Helsinki City Theatre has set a goal for at least half of the materials used in productions to be recycled and 65% to be reusable in the theatre’s own future productions. In the independent scene, limited resources often naturally guide artists toward recycling and responsible material use. For example, the Vaara Collective, based in Kainuu, stores and reuses the same set elements across multiple productions over the years.

Various networks have emerged in the performing arts sector to promote sustainable material use. For instance, Roinaränni is a Facebook group for recycling performance materials, while Goodstock is an online marketplace where creative professionals and organizations can buy, sell, and rent used items and materials from one another. In Helsinki, Swamp Swap is a free materials recycling point for artists, which collects and redistributes materials via a physical storage space. Informal professional networks and contacts also play a crucial role in material circulation.

At the heart of responsible material use is a rethinking of the entire process and meaning of making a performance. Researcher, artist, and scenographer Tanja Beer speaks of ecoscenography, in which the moment of performance is seen as just one phase in the life cycle of a production. She describes the moment of performance as a celebration of material, placing equal importance on where the material comes from and what happens to it after the production ends. Strategies from sustainable design thinking—such as regenerative design, circular design, eco-design, and nature-centered design—are also relevant in the context of performance design.

In eco-creativity, ecological thinking becomes a source of inspiration and creativity instead of being a restriction. The availability and reuse of materials can guide the artistic process, rather than seeking materials to fit pre-determined ideas. Organizations can foster eco-creativity by collecting materials in advance and designing productions based on what is available. Constraints can lead to innovation: for instance, an energy efficiency requirement might spark ideas about what it means to create within a sustainable carbon budget. When the limits of materials and energy become the foundation for artistic work, new ways of building ecologically and socially sustainable performances can emerge.

Guides and Tools to Support Sustainability Work

In the performing arts, environmental work is as diverse as the organizations creating performances. Sustainability is promoted both through artistic content and through production structures. Some organizations have more resources to advance ecological sustainability, while many struggle with financial pressures. In spring 2023, workshops held as part of the LuoTo project—aimed at promoting sustainability in the creative industries—mapped the state of sustainability work across different sectors. Participants in the performing arts workshop reported that they lack sufficient resources to advance environmental work and that additional support is needed to enable a transition toward low-carbon practices. A sustainability transition becomes possible by strengthening understanding and participation. Ecologically resource-efficient operations can also contribute to financial sustainability.

Some actors in the performing arts field have been actively engaged in environmental work for years, showing ambition both in production practices and artistic content. In recent years, various publications have also promoted ecological sustainability. A Finnish translation of the Theatre Green Book summary Teatterin vihreä kirja was published in 2023 to support sustainable theatre operations. The Vision 2030 for Performing Arts Education addresses the promotion of sustainable lifestyles and ecosocial education. The Theatre Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki has published an article collection titled Sustainable Choices – Potentials and Practices in Performance Design, exploring sustainability from the perspective of performance design. The academy’s technical support services have also compiled a guide, A Guide to Sustainable Artistic Work at the Theatre Academy, covering different departments of theatre practice.

Many performing arts institutions, such as the Finnish National Theatre, use the Ekokompassi environmental management system to develop sustainability in their operations. The Finnish National Opera and Ballet has a full-time environmental manager and a project-based environmental designer. Helsinki City Theatre is conducting a two-year environmental management project, aiming to implement the Theatre Green Book in all in-house productions. Ambitious sustainability efforts are also underway in the independent scene, where artists are developing both content and new practices. For example, TaikaBox ry, based in Oulu, has developed environmental responsibility in touring, dance, and technology through EU-funded pilot projects.

The Elma.live platform, originally built to support sustainable development in the live music sector, was expanded in 2024 to also serve professionals in the performing arts—such as circus, dance, and theatre. The platform allows users to create their own sustainability programs and calculate their carbon footprint.

Content as a Catalyst for the Sustainability Transition

In 2023, participants in the performing arts workshop of the LuoTo project expressed the view that addressing the physical and scientific root causes of the climate crisis lies somewhat outside the core mission of the performing arts. While reducing the environmental impact of productions and performances is seen as important, the sector is also exploring other ways to make an impact. Performing arts have great potential to support the sustainability transition by influencing audiences through their content. They can activate, take a stand, suggest more sustainable futures, and experiment with alternative practices.

The LuoTo workshops emphasized the performing arts’ ability to express emotions. Based on participant feedback, this expressive power should be used to address difficult topics and to increase ecosocial literacy in art targeted at all age groups, including children and young people. Performing arts can shape people’s attitudes and understanding—an impact that could be further enhanced through interdisciplinary collaboration, such as between science and art.

Ecological sustainability, environmentally responsible practices, and the climate crisis as a condition have long been reflected in the content of performing arts, both in the field and in education. At the Theatre Academy, ecological sustainability is integrated into many course curricula and has been widely addressed in theses and research. A significant work in the field of ecology and performance is the doctoral dissertation by artist-researcher Tuija Kokkonen, which explores temporality and our relationship to the nonhuman in performance contexts.

One way to influence through content is artistic or creative activism, which refers to a practice where art is used as a means to directly address a political issue. The goal is a concrete, observable change—not primarily the creation of an artwork. Such activity might include collecting petitions, organizing protests, or engaging in other strategically chosen actions. In terms of content, artistic activism can be reflected in performances where the structure, form, or events of the piece aim to directly change reality—not just provoke thought. From the perspective of promoting the sustainability transition, this approach opens up possibilities for artistic influence to extend beyond imagination and into practical actions and societal structures.

Sustainability Communication and Audience Engagement as Invitations to Participate

Influencing through content can also be viewed as a form of communication. To advance the societal sustainability transition, it is valuable to reach diverse audiences and demonstrate how impactful art can be created from ecological starting points. Diverse aesthetics and approaches invite different audiences and expand the understanding of what the sustainability transition can look and feel like. It is essential that an organization communicates its environmental work, choices, and processes through the messaging and marketing that surrounds performances. To avoid greenwashing, sustainability communication must be transparent and reflect genuine commitment to environmental efforts.

Audience engagement is an inspiring opportunity to influence the societal sustainability transition through the performing arts. It creates a space where sustainable development becomes part of the experience and conversation, offering a chance to shift audience perceptions and behaviors in everyday life.

Sustainability Work Requires Resources and Changes in the Operating Environment

Participants in the 2023 LuoTo workshop from the performing arts field emphasized that the sector’s operating environment should enable ambitious ecological goals. Challenges include a funding system that favors the creation of new works, the limited number of circular economy operators, and the still-developing state of environmental education for performing arts professionals.

Progress in environmental efforts has been supported by the fact that some individuals have had the opportunity to access training, build networks, and allocate resources to sustainability work. However, the uniqueness of productions and the freelance-based working model pose challenges to systematic change. Individual emission reduction targets do not always translate into concrete daily practices. Too often, sustainability efforts fall on the shoulders of individual practitioners, and fragmented guidelines hinder collective learning.

Changing old practices, renewing operations, and adopting new professional skills and goals are seen as demanding processes that must happen alongside the development of one’s own work and work environment. To realize a sustainability transition in the performing arts sector, there is a desire for support in day-to-day environmental efforts, as well as reflection on the content-based roles of art in broader societal and cultural change.