Earlier this month, while he was in Thailand for work, Ecostage co-director Paul was invited to speak to theatre students at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. Chulalongkorn is probably Thailand’s most prestigious university, and its graduates have a huge influence on Thai culture.
The talk built on the weeklong lab he co-ran in 2024 association was Bangkok International Performing Arts Meeting (BIPAM), the Thai Theatre Foundation and Zoë Svendsen, looking at climate dramaturgy and ecoscenography, and comparing approaches in Thailand and in the UK.
Paul gave an overview of the sustainable theatre landscape in the UK, for example, the Theatre Green Book and Julie’s Bicycle. He gave a particular focus to Ecostage. The students had recently been talking about the three Rs, so Ecostage’s seven Rs offered a friendly challenge. Paul also shared some case studies and listened to the students’ thoughts on sustainability and their general relationship with the theatre sector.
The session also looked at environmental justice and asked to what extent Thai theatremakers should reduce their impact, or whether, coming from a country that has not historically been so responsible for climate change, there is still space for them to grow while the West reduces its impact. This also picks up a major theme from the 2024 lab, namely that much Thai theatre-making is low impact anyway by default, due to a lack of resources. It’s a really interesting discussion that sits right at the heart of how sustainable theatre intersects with environmental justice.
Paul adds, ‘It was so heartening to be in a room with such thoughtful, smart and creative young people. I really look forward to seeing what they do next. I also hope that Thailand starts to get more recognition internationally for its innovative and distinctive theatre makers.’
