Back

Performing Arts

The Performing Arts Sector encompasses diverse live artistic expressions, including theatre, dance, music, opera, and circus arts. It involves creating, producing, and presenting performances that engage and entertain audiences in real time.

Professionals in this industry include actors, dancers, musicians, directors, choreographers, stage designers, and technical crew members who collaborate to bring performances to life on stage or in other live settings. From traditional theatre productions to experimental dance performances, the performing arts industry reflects societies’ creativity, diversity, and cultural richness worldwide. It provides opportunities for artistic expression, cultural exchange, and community engagement, enriching the lives of both performers and audiences.

Through storytelling, movement, and musicality, the performing arts industry provides a platform for exploring complex themes, sparking dialogue, and inspiring social change, making it an essential component of human expression and cultural heritage.

For the Performing Arts Sector, typically the greatest direct environmental impact areas are Travel & Transport, Materials & Waste Management, and Food & Beverage. To learn more about these topics, use the buttons below.

For managers, leaders and executives, another key impact area is Governance & Communications – to find out more, click the button below.

Resources

To go directly to some resources for the Performing Arts Sector, click on some of our examples below:

Green Mobility – A guide to environmentally sustainable mobility for performing arts

Culture Connects Conversation: Sustainability in The Performing Arts

Green Arts Initiative in Ireland – Guide to Energy

Creative Carbon Scotland Case Studies

More...

For further case studies, research & reports, and resource organisations for the Performing Arts Sector, head over to our resources section, or find some digital tools, guides & manuals, and templates in our toolbox.

Green Mobility – A guide to environmentally sustainable mobility for performing arts

The Green Mobility Guide offers practical recommendations for professionals across the performing arts, gives case studies and resources, and includes the Julie’s Bicycle ‘IG tool’ for tracking carbon emissions while on tour.

View Project

Culture Connects Conversation: Sustainability in The Performing Arts

British Council Ireland, in partnership with University College Dublin (UCD) and Queens University Belfast (QUB) hosted this Culture Connects conversation with policymakers, practitioners and producers in the performing arts, drawn from across the UK and Ireland, in order to connect cultural professionals on this issue and provide a space for a frank discussion on concerns, hopes and actions in this space.

View Project

Green Arts Initiative in Ireland – Guide to Energy

Understanding and recording your energy use is the first step to reducing energy consumption in your building. Knowing how to read your meters and how to understand your bills will help you to see how your activities affect your energy use.

This guide aims to help you to understand how much energy your organisation is using to light and heat your building and offices and which fuels produce the highest carbon emissions.

 

View Project

Instant Dissidence

Rita Marcalo is the Artistic Director of Instant Dissidence, a dance company based in Cloughjordan Ecovillage. For each Instant Dissidence project participants become ‘artivists’, enacting the power of connecting art and social consciousness.

View Project

Creative Carbon Scotland Case Studies

A series of case studies made by Creative Carbon Scotland.

View Project