Uniquely located on the banks of a river, next to a nature reserve and site of special scientific interest, our relationship to the natural world is integral to the experience of living, working or paying a visit to The Watermill.

The climate crisis has a real impact on our operation, for example through flooding due to rising river water. As such, we consider taking positive action to reduce our environmental impact a moral obligation as well as something that will ensure the continued business activity of The Watermill.

The Watermill Theatre on a sunny day with blue skies. Patrons are sat on benches on the lawn outside the venue.

Existing efforts to reduce our environmental impact include:

Programming and productions: programming shows that reflect our green values; set recycling; reused or recycled costumes; aims to meet the Theatre Green Book standard of environmentally-friendly productions (see case study below); energy-efficient LED lighting in the theatre.
Energy: energy-efficient heating and cooling system, including solar heating.
Recycling and waste disposal: separated recycling and waste bins; composting bins collected by West Berks council; only reusable plastic cups offered Front of House.
Travel: electric car charging stations for our audience; electric vans for all production travel; onsite accommodation to minimise cast and creative travel; use of local taxi company GoGreen Taxis, who aim to reduce environmental impact across all areas of their business.
Stock and suppliers: recycled printer paper; local suppliers used for stationery purchases; use of eco-friendly, ethical, vegan cleaning products from Thatcham Refillable.
Staff and training: Carbon Literacy Training for staff; green commitment listed on all job descriptions.
Catering: herbs grown onsite; focus on local suppliers and seasonal food; vegetarian and vegan options in the Restaurant.
Tracking: annual tracking of our carbon footprint and green impact on Julie’s Bicycle.

A case study: Sherlock Holmes and the Poison Wood (2024)

For this production in collaboration with Metta Theatre, we aimed to follow the Theatre Green Book’s guidance on sustainability and sourcing (i.e. reusing existing items rather than buying new) the vast majority of sets & scenery, props & furniture, and costumes.

We aimed to source 75% of these items overall and succeeded in exceeding this target with the following results for the production:

Sets and scenery - 65% sourced
Props and furniture – 80% sourced
Costumes – 90% sourced
Overall source outcome – 79% sourced

Sherlock and Watson stand at the front of the stage with their arms raised high in the air

Now what?

One of our key aims moving forward is to build on our existing efforts and continue to embed the practices suggested in the Theatre Green Book not just into our productions, but into food and drink; energy use and waste management; transport; and, in the longer term, the way we tour and transfer our work. We will also continue to be considered in making programming choices that reflect our environmental values, and in adopting technology and ways of working that minimise our impact.