International Conference on Sustainability in Performance, Staging Sustainability, Set for Toronto

Staging Sustainability 2014 will introduce attendees to ground-breakers working across Canada, on Broadway, in London, in community gardens -- as well as all points in-between -- to remake the way we work in the performing arts. It will be the largest gathering of innovative sustainability practitioners in the world to focus on ways in which performance can positively affect our planet. The organizers invite performing arts professionals including producers, performers, technicians, funders, decision makers -- and anyone interested in how the performing arts can support sustainability efforts -- to attend Staging Sustainability 2014, February 2 - 5, at the MaRS Discovery District and 99 Sudbury in downtown Toronto.

Staging Sustainability 2014 kicks off on Sunday, February 2 where participants are invited to attend the closing of Cape Farewell's Carbon 14: Climate is Culture exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum and acclaimed performance artist Cynthia Hopkins' This Clement World, presented by the Theatre Centre at the Great Hall on Queen Street West.

The conference dives deep into issues of sustainability and performance starting on February 3 at the MaRS Conference Centre at College and University. The day is framed with plenaries throughout the day by cultural policy writer, social activist and consultant Arlene Goldbard; international recognized museum planner Barry Lord; and CEO of the National Theatre School and author of No Culture, No Future, Simon Brault. Breakouts throughout the day look at the artists, directors, managers, and all that support them to look at the making of art, facilities, and communities with speakers from around the world. The National Theatre School invites participants to a reception before that evening's stage reading of Alana Mitchell's Sea Sick, premiering in March at the new Theatre Centre space in the Carnegie Library on Queen.

Participants will get down to work on Tuesday, February 4, at 99 Sudbury, around the corner from the Great Hall and Theatre Centre on Queen West. Speakers for this day include culture and sustainability specialist Douglas Worts and former Berlin senator for science, research and culture Adrienne Goelher. Including more breakouts showcasing innovators from Canada and around the world, February 4 will include numerous workshops for participants to begin the hard work of making real change in their practice and organizations.

The key to this gathering will be the space for conversation and planning. On February 3 - 4, participants will have access to one-on-one sessions with consultants, planners, funders, and other experts for assistance with making sustainable change work for them. These 20-minute SmART Bar sessions will be available 10am - 4:30pm on both days.

On Wednesday, February 5, participants can reserve full initial consultations and attend longer training workshops to introduce them to funding opportunities, communications strategy and consultants from many areas. Based on participant needs and wants for change, these experts will be available for one and two hour pro bono consultations to help them consider their management, facilities, and artistic practices in a sustainable context.

99 Sudbury will also be home to a theatrical trade show of Canadian vendors of theatre technology and staging equipment, as well as support organizations and theatre educations from Canadian universities and colleges.

This full program is being supported by a large coalition of service organization and researches led by the Centre for Sustainable Staging at York University in the Faculty of Fine arts and Arts Build Ontario. Organizational partners include the Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts (CSPA), the Professional Alliance of Canadian Theatres (PACT), and the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), The Canadian Institute of Theatre Technology (CITT), Cape Farewell and the Theatre Centre.

To make the program available across Canada (and beyond) participants can register as remote delegates so that they can participate virtually from their home or at a number of remote conferences hub sites from East to West. Plenaries will be streamed and Google Hangouts will be used to allow for remote participants to fully engage in all offerings throughout the conference.

Registration is currently open at the conference URL below. Members of TAPA, CITT, PACT, and the CSPA can register for the discounted rate of $300 until January 10, 2014. Unaffiliated delegates are $375. Students can participate for just $100 and remote participants can access all the sections from afar for $50. All prices are in Canadian dollars.

Performance has always been about how the work affects people. Organizers are ready to look at how performances can affect a sustainable world.