Theatres Trust Awards c.£170k to Help Nine Theatres Improve Environmental Sustainability

Through its partnership with the Wolfson Foundation, Theatres Trust will award grants totalling £169,497 to nine theatres across the UK for vital environmental sustainability projects.

The Courtyard Centre for the Arts in Hereford is one of five theatres receiving funding in this round to upgrade tungsten stage lighting to energy efficient LEDs. When completed, the project will reduce electricity usage in its main house and two studio spaces by 90%. The Courtyard is committed to recycling and reducing waste, with its traditional lighting being offered to small local theatres and some of the tungsten lights being upcycled and converted by artisan makers to create domestic standard lamps. Broadway Theatre Catford in London; Centre Stage in Kilmarnock; Sherman Theatre in Cardiff and Theatre Royal Bury Edmunds also receive grants for similar stage lighting projects.

Two Roderick Ham designed theatres, Derby Theatre and Ipswich’s New Wolsey Theatre, will switch to LEDs and introduce timers, movement and light sensors in front and back of house areas, thanks to funding from this scheme. This follows advice on the most appropriate green actions for mid-century theatres in the Theatre Green Book, the grassroots environmental project of which Theatres Trust is a steering group member. Similarly, The Old Fire Station in Oxford, which works with people experiencing homelessness, will upgrade its domestic lighting to LEDs with movement sensors.

The final project supported in this round is an innovative two-part scheme by SPID Theatre, a company that makes art advocating for housing justice from its base in Kensal House Theatre on a Ladbroke Grove housing estate in London. Curtains installed in the main hall will provide a level of insulation that will keep the theatre a comfortable temperature without needing heating. Green walls will be created in the outdoor waiting area, which will have a myriad of benefits including removing air pollutants, improving biodiversity and reducing noise. 

Theatres Trust’s Director Joshua McTaggart says This round of the Theatre Improvement Scheme demonstrates the true range of cultural excellence found in these incredible theatres across our country. From a Theatre of Sanctuary, through to a learning theatre, and a building dedicated to working with those experiencing homelessness, these grants remind us that sustainability goes hand in hand with civic pride and empowering communities. I am grateful to the Wolfson Foundation for their ongoing support that enables Theatres Trust to award these crucial funds.

The Wolfson Foundation’s Chief Executive, Paul Ramsbottom, says There is an urgent need for organisations to think about sustainability, from both an environmental and financial perspective. We are pleased to continue our partnership with Theatres Trust, providing vital investment in theatre buildings at a time when it is arguably needed more than ever.

Since Theatres Trust and the Wolfson Foundation started working together in 2017, grants totalling more than £920,000 have been awarded to 55 projects for theatres to improve their buildings, including 41 grants to improve environmental sustainability.

The next round of the Theatre Improvement Scheme is currently open for applications with a deadline of Friday 5 September 2025. Further details on the scheme can be found at http://www.theatrestrust.org.uk/how-we-help/grants-funding/theatre-improvement-scheme.