Going Greener on Tour: Monkey Baa and The Green Circle

Monkey Baa Theatre Company has taken meaningful steps towards greener touring and production practices through its participation in The Green Circle, a sustainability initiative led by Arts on Tour and Theatre Green Book Australia. The program supports leading performing arts organisations to adopt more sustainable practices, with all participating companies recently achieving the internationally recognised Baseline Standard of the Theatre Green Book Australia framework.

We spoke with Monkey Baa’s Production Manager, Laura Watson, about what being part of The Green Circle has meant for the company and how it has shaped its sustainability work on the road.

What does being part of The Green Circle mean for Monkey Baa?
Sharing ideas and visions with likeminded colleagues and companies has been incredibly valuable. The Green Circle has helped formalise work we have already been doing for many years and given us a clearer framework to build on.

What are the main sustainability changes we’ve made on tour?
Monkey Baa has been working towards touring more sustainably for many years. This journey has been continued and supported by our work within The Green Circle and with Arts on Tour. Over my time with Monkey Baa, we have included sustainability measures as standard in how we tour, from consideration in scheduling and how we travel, to going back to basics and ensuring that all of our companies are given the tools and knowledge on how to tour more sustainably.

What sustainability win are you most proud of so far?
Having recently relocated several storage areas into one, we have done a massive overhaul of what we are storing. We have done this in a measured way and have spent the time responsibly disposing of items, as well as passing on equipment to others who need it more than we do.

How are we making our productions greener?
By normalising the conversation from the very beginning of every production, it ensures that sustainability is considered in every decision. We now build this into design conversations, planning and contracts, so it is not an afterthought. This means every creative and practical choice is made with sustainability at the core.

What’s next for Monkey Baa on our sustainability journey?
We will continue the conversations and embed sustainability further across the whole organisation. This includes formalising our practices into policy, rolling out sustainability training and setting clearer staff based goals. We are also continuing to review our processes and look for practical ways to keep improving.