This isn’t the only sustainable upside to Stratford: the Zero Waste shop has been a regular stop for essentials; and the rubbish from our production has been donated by Stratford’s ‘Rubbish Friends’ (yes, this is their name) - local volunteers that clean up the town as well as run campaigns to help protect the environment.
You see, when we first saw our rehearsal space, it was full of ‘rubbish’. Our play is set on an island: and in a world where two truckloads of rubbish enter our oceans every minute, our island realistically has rubbish on it. This concept has allowed for recycling to be at the core of our design.
As a cast, we were encouraged to bring in waste from our own homes that we thought may be useful. The other day we were rehearsing a scene where a character throws a broken watch away. One of our cast said ‘I have a broken one at home which we can use’. Simple. It’s a shift in mentality which can save more than just money.
Our costume fittings for The Tempest have been especially creative. An array of clothes gathered from the RSC Costume Store (which as you can imagine is quite spectacular) were set out on rails to try on. From these our Tempest costumes have been curated, and adapted as needed. Similarly, the amazing wigs team here have washed, styled, and transformed old wigs from the store to give them a new lease of life. Circular economy at its best.