People do not normally associate "sustainability" with theater, and vice versa. But a theater/research production team is trying to blaze a new trail by bringing these two together — fostering a greater appreciation for the arts while also promoting environmental awareness.
Sustainable Eco-Theatre, in partnership with the Ateneo Areté Sandbox Program and the Ateneo Institute of Sustainability, is conducting the first research project in the Philippines that aims to promote a more sustainable approach to costume and set design in theater productions.
Led by Christian "Isyan" Sandoval and Alta Cervo, SET is a team of students and graduates coming from different fields who share the goal of exploring and promoting sustainability in the local performing arts by incorporating traditions from community festivals such as the Kaluskos Festival in Rizal that use eco-friendly production methods and designs.
Sustainable theater is being mindful of the impact of the materials and resources used to create artistic work from pre- to post-production, said project head Sandoval. "The study that our group proposes incorporates sustainable approaches that will utilize commonly recyclable waste products, particularly in terms of set and costume design."
Sets and costumes have a lot of waste potential since these are mostly custom-made for each production, with little chance of being reused. Hence, "We'd like to look into creating sets and costumes that are not only made from sustainable materials, but will also help to lower production costs due to their reusability and durability," said Sandoval, citing biodegradable and reusable materials such as bamboo and water lily.
Alongside the research angle, the team also seeks to come up with a "zero waste" production, an accompanying guidebook, and a production book that will showcase and tackle the sustainable practices, techniques, and materials they have learned and employed. These outputs aim to encourage and guide other local theater groups and future practitioners to employ similar sustainable approaches in their own productions.
This December, the group is mounting a production called "Kinaiya," a twin-bill staging of playwright Eljay Castro Deldoc's Virgin Labfest entry "Si Maria Isabella at Ang Guryon Ng Mga Tala" and a play devised by Sandoval himself that aims to showcase their research findings. The production tackles issues of escape, freedom, and dreams, while also making a push for sustainability in theater-making.
The plays, to be directed by Abner Delina and Jerome Ignacio, will run 1-3 December 2022 at the Rizal Mini Theater, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City.
To know more about Sustainable Eco-Theatre, visit the Facebook page or follow on Instagram (@sustainableecotheatre).
