ETC is one of 14 partners in STAGES (Sustainable Theatre Alliance for a Green Environmental Shift), an ambitious theatre experiment to challenge how the cultural sector interacts with the concept of sustainability.
14 influential theatre organisations, including a leading European theatre network, a theatre partner from Asia and partners in academia, have joined together with director Katie Mitchell and choreographer Jérôme Bel – two artists that are renowned for embedding sustainability in their work – to test radical solutions to the biggest challenges posed by the climate crisis.
STAGES is supported with co-funding from the European Union.
These are delivered via three project strands:
- SUSTAINABLE PERFORMANCES: RE-STAGINGS: Partners have developed an innovative coproduction system to tour urgent new performances on the climate crisis around Europe and as afield far as Taiwan -- without moving any people or items. The STAGES shows will be recreated entirely with local resources (a local director, local actors, local sets and even locally generated electricity).
- SUSTAINABLE TRANSFORMATION: A new auto-analysis process, developed by Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne and the Competence Center in Sustainability of the UNIL, will guide partners to identify key areas for sustainable change in their organisations. This work is based on the holistic understanding of sustainability in the Doughnut Economics concept and therefore assesses buildings, waste, and wider themes such as audience travel and work-life balance.
- SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: An annual series of participatory Forum events and workshops will bring together artists, scientists and audiences to dream of ‘desirable futures’.
Read more on the STAGES website
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STAGES partners
- Théâtre de Liège (Belgium)
- NTGent (Belgium)
- Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb (Croatia)
- MC93 — Maison de la Culture de Seine-Saint-Denis (France)
- European Theatre Convention (Germany)
- Trafó House of Contemporary Arts (Hungary)
- Piccolo Teatro di Milano – Teatro d’Europa (Italia)
- Riga Technical University - University of Latvia (Latvia)
- Lithuanian National Drama Theatre (Lithuania)
- Teatro Nacional D. Maria II (Portugal)
- Maribor Slovene National Theatre -
Slovensko narodno gledališče Maribor (Slovenia) - The Royal Dramatic Theatre, Dramaten, Stockholm (Sweden)
- Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne (Switzerland)
- National Theater & Concert Hall - 國家兩廳院 (Taiwan)
ETC Press Corps Event & Doughnut Talks
Mark your calendars
You are cordially invited to the next ETC Press Corps event, an online press conference that will introduce the STAGES Sustainable Theatre — A Casebook, and present its key insights, on Tuesday, 9 December 2025, from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. CET. This event is aimed at journalists, and is open to the public.
Sign up for the ETC Press Corps event
On 10 December 2026 at 11:00 a.m. CET, ETC will host a session of the STAGES Doughnut Talks, with ETC Communication Manager Christy Romer sharing insights and lessons learned on communicating about sustainability, following four years as Communication Lead for the STAGES - Sustainable Theatre Alliance for a Green Environmental Shift project.
STAGES Sustainable Theatre — A Casebook
Available now!
How can theatre respond to the climate crisis?
This question listed at the heart of the EU-funded STAGES - Sustainable Theatre Alliance for a Green Environmental Shift project, a pioneering initiative reimagining the relationship between culture and sustainability. After four years of artistic experimentation, research and collaboration, the European Theatre Convention is proud to release this publication.
Developed by a consortium of leading European theatres, researchers, and sustainability experts, the Casebook published by the European Theatre Convention, documents innovative practices that push the boundaries of how theatre can respond to the climate crisis - artistically, organisationally, and technologically.
Through in-depth case studies, creative methodologies, and practical tools, the publication offers a comprehensive look at how the performing arts sector can integrate ecological thinking into all aspects of production and touring.
Whether you are a theatre-maker, cultural policymaker, researcher, or sustainability professional, the Casebook provides actionable insights and inspiring models for transforming theatre in response to environmental challenges.
What’s inside:
- Artistic experiments and sustainable creation processes
- New approaches to touring, scenography, and energy use
- Reflections from artists and researchers involved in the STAGES project
- Tools, methodologies, and recommendations for greener theatre-making
- Real-world case studies from partner theatres across Europe
Final STAGES Forum
Hosted by Dailes Theatre, Riga/Latvia
5-9 November 2025
The final STAGES Final Forum unfolded within the ETC International Theatre Conference hosted by Dailes Thatre in Riga, celebrating the final phase of the EU project, Sustainable Theatre Alliance for a Green Environmental Shift (2022–2025).
This major event brought together artists, theatres, researchers, and policymakers for performances, panels, workshops, and showcases that explore how sustainability can reshape theatre-making.
From the premiere of new productions and artistic interventions to the presentation of the STAGES Doughnut Protocol and Theatre Green Book applications, the Forum offered both debate and hands-on tools.
It was the final meeting point for this international alliance, sharing lessons learned and imagining how theatre can lead cultural transformation in the face of the climate crisis.
