Eve D'Alton

We headed to the LIR to chat with Eve D’Alton, Director of Technical Training and Facilities Management. The Lir, National Academy of Dramatic Art at Trinity College Dublin has recently undergone a sustainable makeover in both theatre production and the operations of the facility. This all started with resident Lighting Designer Sinead Wallace, who was inspired by her own sustainable journey and developed The Lir's Sustainability Policy and Action Plan.

The Lir Academy was the first theatre company in Ireland to do a fully sustainable production (Punk Rock by Simon Stephens) and other companies are now following suit. For the first time ever, they did not need to hire a skip, as they had eliminated so much waste from their production. A big part of their success in eliminating waste was careful planning and preparation. With every decision, they were asking themselves, how can we repurpose this? Can we make this ourselves or find it in another nearby theatre?

Careful planning has also led to minimized deliveries, cutting down on transport emissions. They do not use products that are harmful to the environment. An audit of the bar led to them removing plastic cups. They are using carbon neutral printing paper, which came after Front of House staff researched the most sustainable choice. They helped to create the Irish Theatre Green Book, and the accolades go on.

What really makes this a fun sustainable collaboration is that everyone has gotten involved. The systems that they have set up actively involve everyone. For example, they have bins for plastic bottles and students can do a run to the deposit return machines and use the cash for treats for everyone.

What they have set up is a source of pride for the entire team, but it has not been without its challenges. When you are creating a set with sustainability in mind you cannot design as freely as you might like, but it does challenge them to get creative. It also takes more time to plan a greener show, but the payoff has been well worth it. They are getting calls from theatres all over Leinster for advice and have students thinking more about sustainability in theatre. 

Inside The Lir Academy on any given day it is buzzing with talented students preparing sets, stretching, warming up vocals and warming up for the next show. Right now, that show is Peribáñez, a show that Eve describes as a ‘lesser known but worthy production that lets students shine.’  The Lir Academy is all about letting students shine and now they have another reason to be proud to study there. Thanks to Eve D’Alton for taking the time to share with us.

On set of Peribáñez, The Lir Academy's latest production.