Barry Madden thesis D08113175

The School of Electrical Engineering Systems
Dublin Institute of Technology
In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
Bachelor of Science in
Electrical Services and Energy Management
Green Theatre; an Analysis of Current Operational
Methods and Recommendations for Effective Energy
Initiatives
By: Barry Madden
Project Supervisor: Colin Conway
May 2011

Green Theatre; Analysis of Current Operational Methods and
Recommendations for Effective Energy Initiatives
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B. Madden May 2011
Declaration
I hereby certify that the material, which is submitted in this dissertation, is entirely my
own work and has not been submitted for any academic assessment other than as part
fulfilment of the assessment procedures for the programme Bachelor of Science in
Electrical Services and Energy Management (BSc)(DT712).
Signature of student………………………………………………
Date…………………………………………………………….

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B. Madden May 2011
Acknowledgements
The writing of this thesis has been a very enjoyable, informative journey; it
would not have been possible to complete however, without the time, support
and direction given freely by a number of people whose help and input I’d
like to acknowledge:
Marguerite, Dominic, and Niamh Madden; and Lizzy Doyle, for their
continued support and understanding. Colin Conway for supervision,
guidance and direction.
Professionally thank, Kathy Doyle, Joseph Collins, Liam Fitzgerald, Shaw
Bowden, Adam Fitzsimmons, Maura Logue, Eoin Byrne, Eoin Stapleton, Ben
Delany, Derek Conaughty and Kevin McFadden; for their insight, time and
direction.
My peers and classmates including; Declan O’Neill, Shaun Redmond, John
Sweeney and Emmet Sandford; for their time and dedication.
Thank You.

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Contents
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................. iii
Table of Figures...........................................................................................................x
List of Tables............................................................................................................ xiii
Glossary Terms and Abbreviations...................................................................... xiv
1.0 Introduction ....................................................................................................17
1.1 Historical influence of theatre ..................................................................17
1.2 Relevance of research.................................................................................18
1.3 Background .................................................................................................18
2.0 Literature Review...........................................................................................19
2.1 Boris Johnson’s Green Theatre Paper......................................................19
2.1.1 Carbon footprint for London theatres..............................................19
2.1.2 Total embodied carbon footprint for London’s theatre industry 20
2.1.3 Carbon footprint of the audience......................................................21
2.1.4 Initiatives that may reduce audience carbon emissions................22
2.1.5 Carbon calculator for production planning ....................................23
2.1.6 Relevance of carbon calculations......................................................24
2.2 The Theatres Trust U.K. ............................................................................24
2.3 Are Irish theatre websites dealing with energy awareness..................26
2.3.1 The Theatre Forum, Ireland...............................................................26
2.3.2 Arts council of Ireland........................................................................27
2.3.3 AIST, Association of Irish Stage Technicians..................................27
2.4 Relevance of Irish website review............................................................28

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3.0 Methodology...................................................................................................29
3.1 Overview .....................................................................................................29
3.2 Questionnaire Methodology.....................................................................30
3.2.1 Medium used.......................................................................................30
3.2.2 The respondents..................................................................................30
3.3 Questionnaire format analysis .................................................................31
3.3.1 Assessing the questionnaires accessibility ......................................31
3.3.2 Expunging of questions .....................................................................31
3.3.3 Applying a rating scale ......................................................................32
3.3.4 Conclusion on unsuccessful questionnaires ...................................33
3.4 Main aims and objectives..........................................................................33
3.4.1 Aims......................................................................................................33
3.4.2 Objectives .............................................................................................34
3.5 Restrictions and limitations to research..................................................34
3.6 Ethical considerations................................................................................35
3.6.1 Survey considerations ........................................................................35
3.6.2 Organisation considerations..............................................................36
3.6.3 Investigatory theatre visits ................................................................36
4.0 Sample show carbon calculation..................................................................37
4.1 Results..........................................................................................................37
4.2 Conclusion...................................................................................................37
4.2.1 Hierarchy of specific energy users ...................................................38
4.2.2 Recommendations for reducing carbon footprint..........................38

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5.0 Energy conservation in the Grand Canal Theatre.....................................39
5.1 Energy savings in theatre construction and services ............................39
5.1.1 Introduction .........................................................................................39
5.1.2 Facilities and Control..........................................................................39
5.1.3 Use of air curtains ...............................................................................42
5.1.4 BMS Control.........................................................................................43
5.1.5 Manual and local control ...................................................................44
5.1.6 Results from the BMS .........................................................................44
5.1.7 Lighting ................................................................................................44
5.1.8 Auditorium lighting Controls...........................................................45
5.1.9 DALI system ........................................................................................46
5.1.10 DALI lighting system conclusion .....................................................47
5.1.11 Technology in auditorium construction..........................................47
5.1.12 Use of LEDs backstage .......................................................................48
5.2 Energy savings through work practices .................................................49
5.2.1 Savings in good facilities management ...........................................49
5.2.2 Savings in automation........................................................................51
5.3 Power requirements for staging ‘The Sound of Music’ ........................51
5.3.1 Conclusions on power requirements ...............................................53
6.0 Energy audit evaluation of The Abbey Centre..........................................55
6.1 Introduction ................................................................................................55
6.1.1 Assessing the audits summary report .............................................57
6.1.2 The use of water in the Abbey Centre..............................................58

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6.2 Ways to minimise waste............................................................................58
6.2.1 Flush controls ......................................................................................58
6.2.2 Conversion of a cistern into a low flush system.............................59
6.2.3 Fire Block®...........................................................................................60
6.2.4 Sine wave dimming ............................................................................60
6.3 Rainwater harvesting.................................................................................62
6.3.1 Principals of Rainwater harvesting ..................................................62
6.3.2 Parts of the system..............................................................................63
6.3.3 Rainwater harvesting uses and benefits..........................................65
6.3.4 Rainwater harvesting for a medium sized theatre.........................66
7.0 Energy awareness in theatre ........................................................................68
7.1 The Irish respondents ................................................................................68
7.1.1 Introduction .........................................................................................68
7.1.2 Interest in the questionnaire..............................................................68
7.1.3 Assessing the professional background of the respondents.........71
7.1.4 Making sense of the findings ............................................................72
7.1.5 Assessing the location of the respondents ......................................73
7.1.6 Level of recycling in place .................................................................74
7.1.7 Level of work practices already in place .........................................76
7.1.8 Barriers to implementation................................................................78
7.1.9 Responsibility for awareness in theatre...........................................78
7.1.10 How we get the information across .................................................82
7.1.11 Should training be provided for staff and designers.....................83

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7.1.12 Where will the information come from ...........................................84
7.1.13 Knowledge of where to find information........................................85
8.0 Benchmarking.................................................................................................87
8.1 Introduction ................................................................................................87
8.2 Sizing the benchmark ................................................................................89
8.2.1 Should staff be trained in greener work practices?........................91
8.2.2 Awareness of the information’s location.........................................92
9.0 Conclusion ......................................................................................................93
10.0 Case Study.......................................................................................................95
10.1 Arcola Theatre and Arcola Energy ..........................................................95
10.1.1 Fuel cell technology in Arcola Theatre ............................................96
11.0 Recommendations..........................................................................................97
11.1 No capital investment required................................................................97
11.1.1 In general..............................................................................................98
11.1.2 The building.........................................................................................99
11.1.3 Carbon emissions..............................................................................100
11.1.4 In the office.........................................................................................100
11.1.5 Onstage...............................................................................................101
11.2 Capital investment required...................................................................102
11.2.1 The building.......................................................................................102
11.2.2 Onstage...............................................................................................103
12.0 Bibliography .................................................................................................104
13.0 References .....................................................................................................105

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Appendix A. ‘DA’ ...................................................................................................108
14.0 Carbon calculations for the sample show ................................................109
14.1 Pre Production ..........................................................................................109
14.1.1 Commissioning of the cast and piece.............................................109
14.1.2 Pre-production calculations.............................................................110
14.1.3 Rehearsals off stage...........................................................................110
14.1.4 Set construction .................................................................................110
14.1.5 Costume and props...........................................................................111
14.1.6 Stage rehearsal...................................................................................111
14.1.7 Sales and marketing..........................................................................111
14.2 Production.................................................................................................112
14.3 Post-production ........................................................................................112
Appendix B. Questionnaires .................................................................................114
15.0 Unsuccessful Questionnaires .....................................................................115
15.1 Audience Questionnaire..........................................................................116
15.2 Lighting Designers Questions (England)..............................................117
15.3 Set Designers Questions (England) .......................................................118
15.4 Questions for theatres (London) ............................................................120
16.0 Questionnaires used ....................................................................................122
Appendix C. Increased frequency in arts energy interaction...........................142
Appendix D. Possibility of further research .......................................................146
17.0 Points to consider in carbon research........................................................147
17.1 Irish Audience Carbon Emissions..........................................................147

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17.1.1 Introduction .......................................................................................147
17.1.2 Attendance in Irish theatre..............................................................147
17.1.3 Travel mode.......................................................................................148
17.2 Attendance and available seating ..........................................................149
17.2.1 Attendance.........................................................................................149
17.2.2 Available seating...............................................................................149
17.2.3 Area 1, Dublin....................................................................................149
17.2.4 ROL .....................................................................................................150
17.2.5 Connaught..........................................................................................150
17.2.6 Munster ..............................................................................................151
17.2.7 Provisos ..............................................................................................151
18.0 Sine wave dimming and power factor......................................................153
Appendix E Correspondence and log sheets......................................................155
19.0 Correspondence ...........................................................................................156
20.0 Supervisor log sheet ....................................................................................158
Table of Figures
Figure 2-1 London Theatre Carbon Emissions .....................................................19
Figure 2-2 Audience emissions by travel mode ...................................................22
Figure 2-3 Map of London theatres and commuting services............................23
Figure 2-4 Online carbon calculator .......................................................................24
Figure 2-5 The Theatres Trust U.K. ........................................................................25
Figure 4-1 Shows carbon calculation results.........................................................37
Figure 5-1Elavation of the Grand Canal Theatre's AHU flow system ..............40

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Figure 5-2 Natural air flow in the atrium ..............................................................41
Figure 5-3 The real time display of the Trend 963 supervisor............................43
Figure 5-4 Viewpoints being monitored by supervisor ......................................43
Figure 5-6 Clip on Anglepoise ................................................................................48
Figure 5-5 Bulkhead fitting......................................................................................48
Figure 5-7 Blue Beam LED (GDS 2010)..................................................................49
Figure 5-8Grand Canal Theatre mains room ........................................................54
Figure 5-9 Metering readout...................................................................................54
Figure 5-10 Suspension for reduced services vibration.......................................54
Figure 6-1 Water filled milk bottle (wikihow2011) ..............................................59
Figure 6-2 Insertion (wikihow 2011) ......................................................................59
Figure 6-3 Replace the lid (wikihow 2011) ...........................................................59
Figure 6-4 Leaf, debris filter ....................................................................................63
Figure 6-5 Overflow system ....................................................................................63
Figure 6-6 Suction filter............................................................................................63
Figure 6-7 Small Rainwater Harvesting system (Jones 2009) .............................64
Figure 6-8 Large rainwater harvesting system .....................................................64
Figure 6-9 30 year rain fall (met Éireann, 2011)....................................................66
Figure 6-10The Abbey Centre Ballyshannon ........................................................67
Figure 7-1 People who expanded on their answers.............................................69
Figure 7-2 Allocation of expanded answers..........................................................70
Figure 7-3 Work placement chart ...........................................................................71
Figure 7-4 Location of theatres surveyed ..............................................................73
Figure 7-5 Location of respondents........................................................................74
Figure 7-6 Recycling in Irish theatre ......................................................................75
Figure 7-7 Opinions on recycling............................................................................76
Figure 7-8 Energy saving devices ...........................................................................77
Figure 7-9 Work practices........................................................................................77

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Figure 7-10 Responsibility for energy awareness................................................79
Figure 7-11 Responsibility for implementation....................................................81
Figure 7-12 Form of information.............................................................................82
Figure 7-13 Is training required ..............................................................................83
Figure 7-14 Where will the training come from ...................................................84
Figure 7-15 Professionals knowledge of information services...........................85
Figure 7-16Managements knowledge of information services ..........................85
Figure 8-1 Energy efficient work practices in London Theatre..........................88
Figure 8-2 English respondents auditorium size..................................................89
Figure 8-3 Items recycled in London Theatres .....................................................90
Figure 8-4 Cost effectiveness of recycling .............................................................90
Figure 8-5 Training for British staff........................................................................91
Figure 8-6 Awareness of websites ..........................................................................92
Figure 10-1Arcola's new theatre design.................................................................95
Figure 17-1Car exhaust emissions ........................................................................148
Figure 18-1Damaged capacitors............................................................................153
Figure 18-2 Power Factor – Sunday, 26/3/11.......................................................154

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List of Tables
Table 5-1 LX 102 sub board readings .....................................................................52
Table 5-2 Mains board readings..............................................................................52
Table 5-3 LX 101 ........................................................................................................52
Table 6-1 Suggestions for energy actions, Abbey Centre, Co. Donegal............56
Table 7-1 Allocation of expanded answers ...........................................................69
Table 7-2 Total per department surveyed who complete the questionnaire ...72
Table 11-1 Information on websites .......................................................................97
Table 17-1Dublin theatres and seating.................................................................149
Table 17-2 Rest of Leinster theatres and seating.................................................150
Table 17-3 Connaught theatres and seating........................................................150
Table 17-4 Munster theatres and seating.............................................................151

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Glossary Terms and Abbreviations
Letter Title Description
A 1. Air curtain
2. AHU
3. Arts Council
4. auditoria
5. automated
1. A mechanical devise that blows
warm air into an opening leading to
a colder atmosphere, to prevent air
escaping
2. Air Handling Unit
3. The semi-state body entrusted with
arts funding and accessibility
4. Collective name for auditorium
5. A system which once set can
operate without any manual
interaction
B 1. Backstage
2. ballasts
3. BMS
4. BNM
1. Any area of a venue where
activities directly linked to the
performance take place
2. A devise for the regulation and
limiting of current
3. Building management system. An
interactive, automated system for
controlling building facilities.
4. Bórd Na Mona
C 1. CFL
2. Control box
3. Cowled
4. CO2
1. Compact Fluorescent
2. Room from which show lighting
and sound is controlled
3. Hooded to minimise light spill
4. Abbreviation for Carbon dioxide
D 1. DALI
2. Downstage
1. Digital Addressable Lighting
Interface
2. Any direction from the back of the
stage towards the audience area
E 1. Embodied
carbon
emissions
2. EUs 20-20-20
strategy
1. Total carbon emissions of a process
including activities directly linked
to that process.
2. 20 percent reduction of greenhouse
gas emissions below 1990 levels and
a 20 percent increase in energy
efficiency, by 2020.
F 1. Flies stack
2. FOH
1. The area above the stage which
houses the lighting bar pulley
system. Can be over twice the

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B. Madden May 2011
3. FOH Lighting height of the stage opening.
2. Front of house area, includes bar,
foyer, box office etc.
3. Any stage luminaire position on the
auditorium side of the stage.
G 1. Generic
lighting rig
2. Get-ins
3. Green Theatre
1. A stage lighting system that utilises
tungsten lamps
2. The construction period for a show
3. The term coined for the movement
seeking energy efficiency within
the theatre industry
H 1. Halogen
2. HVAC
1. A gas added to a lamp to increase
efficiency
2. Heating Ventilation and Air
Conditioning
I 1. IP 1. Ingress Protection (level of
protection against foreign objects)
K 1. kVAr 1. kilo Volt Amps reactive (power in
excess of what is required)
L 1. Lamp
2. LED
3. Load outs
4. LPHW
5. Luminaire
6. LV
1. Outputs light, normally called a
‘bulb’, housed in a luminaire
2. Light Emitting Diode
3. The stripping of a show form the
theatre
4. Low Pressure Hot Water
5. A unit used for distributing light
6. Low Voltage (25 – 1000 Vrms)
M 1. Metal
halide/arc
1. A high intensity discharge lamp
O 1. OLML
2. Orchestra pit
3. Oyster
1. Office of the Lord Mayor of London
2. Area recessed into the floor in front
of the stage for housing the
orchestra during performances
3. A prepaid ticket system for London
tube
P 1. PF
2. PH
3. PIR
1. Power Factor (ratio of real power
versus apparent power, in decimal
form)
2. Measure of a substances acidic or
basic properties
3. Passive Infrared

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B. Madden May 2011
R 1. Rehearsal
spaces
2. RGB
1. Any area other than the stage
within which performers practice
their craft, normally under technical
supervision
2. Red, Green, Blue colour mixing
S 1. Scene dock
2. Solar Gains
3. Struck
4. Sustainable
1. An area off-stage used for housing
pieces of scenery and props
2. Heating effect attributed to the sun
3. (In Lighting) Switched on
4. A renewable system
T 1. Tungsten
filament
2. Touring
1. An incandescent lamp (non energy
efficient)
2. The travelling of any stage
production outside the confines of
its original
U 1. Upstage 2. Any direction from the audience
towards the back of the stage area

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B. Madden May 2011
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Historical influence of theatre
The Green Theatre Programme is a fantastic step towards a more
sustainable future. The theatre sector has responded magnificently to the
collective challenge that is climate change – not only by addressing
buildingrelated issues, but also by recognizing theatre’s unique ability to
communicate complex issues and change behaviour.”
Juhi Shareef, Sustainability Consultant
(OLML, 2008)
It should be recognized that the theatre, as a mechanism of influence, has
been a catalyst for the remoulding of civilization for centuries, through its
storytelling and themes. From the time of Sophocles’ ‘Medea’ in ancient
Greece, which dealt with issues such as vengeance, isolation, murder and
madness, to the premier of Sean O’Casey’s ‘Plough and the Stars’, (Dublin
1926) where patrons rioted outside the Abbey theatre for its portrayal of a
prostitute on stage. (O’Brian, 2002) The theatre has had a profound effect on
people’s moral views, the desensitizing of their indignation and the evolution
of their ethics. For this reason alone the theatre has a responsibility in the
propagation of energy awareness. From the largest to the smallest, even in
diminishing attendance, the theatre still has a voice for reaching people and is
very influential. ‘Theatres are not a large contributor to carbon emissions but
their ability to influence is extremely significant’. (OLML, 2008, p.4) ‘London
theatres can reduce their own carbon emissions and at the same time have a
much wider reach by showing our audiences and other theatre industries
what is possible’. (OLML, 2008, p.4)

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B. Madden May 2011
1.2 Relevance of research
In the recent years there has been a surge of interest in energy efficiency for
theatre. Evidence of this is apparent in the ‘Theatre energy awareness
timeline’ located in appendix C. It can be seen from this timeline that there is
growing concern within the theatrical community for energy wastage in the
industry and what affect this might have on the environment. It also shows
the preferred forms of engagement between the industry and the general
public.
1.3 Background
The reason for choosing this topic for the thesis was the author’s interest in
environmental awareness through energy management, and the belief that
not only green technologies, but also people will ultimately hold the key to its
success. With previous connections to the theatre industry, the realization that
the vast amount of tungsten based luminaires, which are widely used in stage
productions was a reason for concern. The physical make up of the buildings
auditoria, which are normally large and lack natural heating through either
convection or solar gains, and would be hard to heat or cool was another
reason to engage with the piece. This lead the author to question the level of
response within the industry to energy efficient practices which are now
becoming a large part of other industries in Ireland and it’s neighboring
countries.

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B. Madden May 2011
2.0 Literature Review
2.1 Boris Johnson’s Green Theatre Paper
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, undertook the task of addressing
energy usage in London theatres by commissioning a paper that would
examine the current levels of awareness and the impact theatres have on the
environment, while setting out guides on increased energy efficiency. The
benefits of energy conservation and awareness would be communicated in
this paper by referencing some success stories of theatres who have already
implemented energy efficient work practices.
2.1.1 Carbon footprint for London theatres
Figure 2-1 London Theatre Carbon Emissions
(OLML, 2007)
36%
28%
9%
9%
6%
5%
5%
2%
London Theatre Carbon Emissions
Theatre front of house (daytime and evening, incl. auditorium
aircon/ cooling
Rehearsal space (heating/cooling)
Theatre offices and back of house (daytime / evening)
Stage electrics (lighting, sound, automation)
Overnight theatre (front and back of house)
Pre-production management

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B. Madden May 2011
Figure 3-1 indicates of where the main carbon – not associated with audience
travel – contributors in theatre are to be found. A fair ‘like for like’
representation could be made between the allocation of resources displayed
here and the Irish theatre sector, due to similar forms of storage, recycling and
energy conservation, which will become more apparent later in the piece.
‘Total emissions from London theatres (excluding pre-production and
audience travel) are approximately 50,000 tonnes a year’. (Anon, 2008, p. 6)
Exterior lighting, although on for a great deal of the evening, is significantly
low for lighting in general. This can be attributed to three factors:
 The use of low energy metal halide lighting on the building’s exterior.
 The use of timers to switch off the lights at night.
 Exterior lighting may also only be utilised by larger theatres.
The common dynamic between these factors would be the energy efficient
engineering that can be achieved in exterior lighting, where one may use
automated controls and is not restricted by using tungsten luminaires which
are widely used in stage performances.
It can be seen from the chart in figure 3-1 that the main energy consumption is
for the heating and cooling of the auditorium/FOH and the rehearsal spaces,
which is due to the physical design of these areas.
2.1.2 Total embodied carbon footprint for London’s theatre industry
The Green Theatre paper’s section on carbon calculations also contains
information on embodied carbon emissions. This takes into account not only
the amount of carbon produced by the total shows in production in London
theatres, but also the carbon footprint by association. Where the

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B. Madden May 2011
preproduction, audience travel and any touring associated with a production
would be considered.
Although the London theatre sector may appear to be a much larger industry
than its Irish counterpart, it is comparable in the number of theatres found
there. On the British survey, the questionnaire was distributed between 56
theatres; found listed on the ‘Green Theatre’ paper however 130 were
included in its carbon catchment area. The Irish survey was distributed to
contactable 54 theatres, found on the ‘Auditorium’ website; however 167 were
established during further research.
There for the difference in size is vast, with London covering 1,579km2
and
the Republic of Ireland covering 70,280km2
; however the numbers of theatres
within this area are similar. For this reason the carbon footprint of the Irish
audience if measured could be benchmarked against the British figures.
2.1.3 Carbon footprint of the audience
The total carbon foot print of the theatre audiences in London can be
estimated at 35,000 tonnes of CO2 a year. (OLML, 2008) It is noted in the paper
that two thirds of audiences in London use public transport to and from the
theatre. The London underground must be acknowledged as playing a large
part in the ease of use of public travel. With many theatres situated close to an
underground station it is easy to access them from anywhere in the city.
From Figure 2.2 and 2-3 it can be assumed that there is an abundance of
infrastructure in London. This may outweigh any such service in the city of
Dublin, or the rest of the country. For this reason it is acceptable to presume
that not only is the catchment area for Irish theatres far greater but that the
audience’s emissions would also be. This would be attributed to limited

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B. Madden May 2011
public transport to and from rural venues. This may give rise to the Irish
theatre audiences having a larger CO2 footprint due to the extensive car
travel.
Figure 2-2 Audience emissions by travel mode
(Office of the Lord Mayor of London, 2008)
2.1.4 Initiatives that may reduce audience carbon emissions
The Green Theatre paper offers some guidelines on how to reduce the amount
of audience carbon emissions. These may be adapted for the Irish sector.
1. Provide greater visibility and links to London transport options on
journey planner websites.
2. Work with London’s Oyster plus programme to promote Oyster and
offer a 2 for 1 deal, or other benefits for using public transport.
3. Use space in programs, tickets or theatre lobbies to communicate a
public transport message to audiences. (OLML, 2008)
27%
20%
18%
15%
12%
8%
0% 0%
Audience emissions by travel mode
London underground Bus Rail
Car Taxi Coach/minibus
Foot Bicycle

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B. Madden May 2011
Figure 2-3 Map of London theatres and commuting services
(Theatre Land, 2011)
2.1.5 Carbon calculator for production planning
Calculating the carbon output of a show from the design stages is a very
important aspect in assessing its effect on the environment. It aims to ‘help
you understand the environmental implications of your decisions’ (OLML
2008). An example of an input page is shown in figure 2-4.

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B. Madden May 2011
Figure 2-4 Online carbon calculator
(The theatres trust, 2010)
2.1.6 Relevance of carbon calculations
The above documentation supports the need for carbon calculations to be
carried out in the theatre sector. There may be many avenues of exploration in
this sector which might not be initially visible to a person who is not au fait
with the theatre setting and general workings of the building. The audience
turnover is very large and so too is the heating / cooling of the auditorium
and rehearsal areas. It must also be noted that dancers as performers need to
be warming up for shows between one to three hours before the performance.
In some cases they just need to get a ‘feel’ for the room. (Collins, 2011) This
may lead to more understanding for anyone who might employ BMS and
timing settings into the buildings HVAC system.
2.2 The Theatres Trust U.K.
The theatres trust is a National Advisory Public Body for theatres in Great
Britain. Their aim is to ‘ensure that the current and future generations have
access to good quality theatres that reflect their cultural life and offer
inspiring places to enjoy theatre’ through their constant overseeing of
planning, refurbishment and construction of theatres. However once one visit
their site it is evident that the theatres trust offers far more than they’re
mission statement claims.

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B. Madden May 2011
There is access to a good knowledge and information centre in the form of
downloads, news updates and relevant events listings making the theatres
trust a very high-quality advisory body. They’re section on resources offers a
special section for teachers who can down load information and colourful
pictures showing interesting views of back stage areas not normally accessible
to the public which they might utilise in the classroom environment.
Hopefully inspiring children to see a future in the theatre sector and educate
them to in the connection between the arts, citizenship and culture.
With theatre databases, resource officers and information on how to set up
tours to theatres; the theatres trust is an invaluable source of contact for both
professionals within the sector and the general public alike.
Figure 2-5 The Theatres Trust U.K.
(Theatres Trust, 2011)
Figure 2-5 shows the vast amount of information that is housed in the
dropdown menus alone in this site. This is a valuable tool in the fight for
access to information.

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B. Madden May 2011
2.3 Are Irish theatre websites dealing with energy awareness
2.3.1 The Theatre Forum, Ireland
The theatre forum of Ireland is an Arts council funded organisation which
offers a good service for professionals within the industry, with forum notice
boards, model contracts, a monthly news letter and an archive search facility
which may contain information on energy efficient work practices. It is
necessary to become a member to access these pages and as a sole trader will
cost you €130.
The open access area has four pages for viewing. These are:
 Opening night clashes.
 Meet the family; a questionnaire for members who are in the ‘spotlight’
for a particular reason each month.
 Employment pages.
 Barter pages. This page offers a system where theatre companies and
professionals can swap or ‘barter’ props, sets, costumes etc. This is a
very energy aware and ecologically active page which in essence is a
recycling program. A system that other theatre sectors globally could
learn from.
There does not seem to be any other energy aware or energy saving
information on this site. The site seems rather inaccessible to the general
public. As a professionals site in its other capacities this site would appear to
be effective. Offering discounts on insurance and hotel accommodation and
facilitating training events during the year (for members).

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B. Madden May 2011
Their mission statement is to:
 Promotion of excellence in the production, presentation and
management of the performing arts
 Support of our members in all aspects of their professional activities;
Exchange of information, ideas and expertise
 Representation of the interests of our members to ensure the vital role
of the performing arts is recognised within wider society. (Theatre
Forum, 2011)
2.3.2 Arts council of Ireland
The Arts council of Ireland was set up under the Arts act of 1951. Its new 2011
– 2013 strategy has been developed with a dual focus in mind. Building on its
previous role it seeks to support artists and arts organisations, both
financially and informatively, and to increase the connection between the arts
and the public. They hope to achieve this by expanding on educational issues
and engaging with schools and young people whilst promoting cultural
tourism and cultural industry in the country. Their funding remit will be
heavily influenced by these factors in the years to come. (Arts Council, 2011)
The Arts Council site is dedicated to the furthering of this strategy and their
funding practices. There is no service or information on the conservation of
energy on this site.
2.3.3 AIST, Association of Irish Stage Technicians
The AIST is a forum and information based organisation which promotes
health and safety and training for the technical crew in the entertainment
industry.

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B. Madden May 2011
The AIST seeks to:
 Set and promote the standards of practice within the industry.
 Facilitate further training for its members.
 Be a resource of information for the industry.
 Promote standard wages, hours and working conditions.
 Provide members with information on professional insurance and
pensions.
(AIST, 2011)
Their website is the only one of the Irish afore mentioned websites offering
information on energy awareness in theatre. They propose downloads of the
‘Green Theatre’ paper and in 2009 commissioned a report on the time scale for
phasing out non-efficient forms of lamp as outlined by the EUs 20-20-20
strategy.
2.4 Relevance of Irish website review
Although some of the information given above on Irish theatre websites may
be outside the remit of this dissertation, it is important to establish what
services these sites provide to assess their relevance to the energy issue. The
review supports the dissertations assumption that there is a need for
information on the benefits of energy awareness in theatre, and a forum to
access this information. There is no doubt that the above sites offer good
services to professionals; however for the most part they lack reference to
energy efficiency.

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B. Madden May 2011
3.0 Methodology
3.1 Overview
“Until the mid 1970s the tendency was to associate valid research almost
exclusively with scientific method, and with the collection and analysis of
measurable data, the attributes of quantitative research.” (Walliman, 2005.
p55)
Now the view is that, in some fields of research, the qualitative style for
recording data is superior, especially in fields such as sociology “with its
focus of research on the complexities of people and the society they live
in”(Walliman, 2005. p55)
It is felt that due to the nature of the buildings business and for auditing
purposes or ‘Green Theatre’ evaluation, one must understand the
complexities of the industries characteristics. For this reason it is very
appropriate to use, not only quantitative, but also qualitative data and by
combining both forms of research methodology this would lead to a more
effective and absolute set of results.
The questionnaires and professionals meetings have been a combination of
qualitative and quantitative methodology with historical, and ethnogenic
style research. The professionals voice their professional and personal
opinions while giving historical information through theorising their own
environmental behaviour (ethnogenic) (Walliman, 2005)) along with their
employers. Quantitative methodology can also be seen in the assessing of the
power requirements associated with the staging of a performance in the
Grand Canal theatre section.

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B. Madden May 2011
3.2 Questionnaire Methodology
3.2.1 Medium used
The questions that were posed were facilitated by the online tool
www.surveymonkey.com. Here there were 10 questions permissible with
different themes and formats of questions available which could be posed to
achieve a professional looking questionnaire. The theme was to be very basic
to avoid distraction and be accessible to the different types of respondents to
which the questionnaires were to be sent. Distribution was to be via:
 Social networks
 Associated technical forums
 Personal emails
3.2.2 The respondents
The members of the community to be surveyed would be directly linked to
theatre in their professional capacity. The subjects to be focused on would be
primarily those with whom a great deal of accountability in the use of energy
within the sector lies, namely;
 Theatre administration
 Technical staff, Lighting, Sound and Audio Visual engineers
 Lighting and set designers
 Stage technicians, set construction and maintenance
To a lesser extent but directly involved with the end usage of energy and for a
more comprehensive set of responses;
 Costume department
 Costume designers

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B. Madden May 2011
 Stage management crew
 Actors
 Directors
 Writers
The utilisation of internet services in the completion of these surveys meant
that the surveys must be self administered. For this reason the questions set
out must be ‘easily read and understood without outside assistance’ (Fink,
2003, p5).
3.3 Questionnaire format analysis
3.3.1 Assessing the questionnaires accessibility
To assess the accessibility of the questions used in the professional’s survey,
‘Energy awareness in Irish theatre’, the questions were printed and
administered to three professionals in the lighting and sound departments of
separate theatres. The results of this trial set of questions lead to the
rewording of some questions, a rating scheme being applied to others and in
some cases the questions being expunged completely in the preference of
others.
3.3.2 Expunging of questions
A question to ascertain the ease of assimilation of British work practices
which propagate energy efficiency in theatre, to Irish theatre was;
‘The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has implemented initiatives to reduce
the amount of energy wastage in London theatres by 2020. Do you feel that
similar initiatives would be easily modified to suit the theatre industry here?’

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B. Madden May 2011
In the case of the trial questionnaire, two of the respondents suggested that:
 This question might be difficult to answer due to their lack of
knowledge on the initiatives that have been utilised in London.
 How much would ‘easily modified’ be?
Another respondent pointed out that:
 He failed to see the point of this question and he felt that it might but
other respondents on guard for latter questions.
In reviewing this question’s worth in the overall questionnaire, and its
effectiveness in relaying pertinent information for the dissertation, it was felt
that the question should be abandoned completely. From gauging the trial
respondent’s reactions it did not necessarily matter from where the energy
initiatives would come.
3.3.3 Applying a rating scale
The question of the ‘Department responsible for the most energy wastage’
was looked on by two respondents as warranting a rating system as they felt
it was a question that they could easily give more information for. This rating
system was then devised as a ‘most’ to ‘least’ energy wastage, with a 2nd
to 4th
involved between these two limits.
A numeric scale was used between these outer limits as unlike a likert scale
(Chandler 2006) such as ‘strongly agree’ or ‘strongly disagree’ there can be no
misunderstanding in the intervals of importance of this ratio or interval type
data collection. (Flint, 2003) Here there is simply ‘most responsible’, to denote
the difference of scale allocation between 1st and 5th to ‘least responsible’. This
went further to ensure the ease of respondents understanding in a self

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B. Madden May 2011
administered questionnaire. Pointed out by Flint (2003, p.66) ‘Using the terms
numerical scales and measures helps to avoid confusion.’
3.3.4 Conclusion on unsuccessful questionnaires
In some instances the initial questionnaires distributed to London theatres
and professionals to assess a benchmark failed to receive any responses. It is
the author’s view that not enough was known about the efficiency of
operational standards applied in British theatre before these questionnaires
were penned, and that the questions may have contained too many
assumptions.
Once further information was acquired the rewritten questionnaire offered a
more streamlined, and accessible set of questions void of assumptions.
3.4 Main aims and objectives
3.4.1 Aims
The main aim of completing this dissertation was to produce a document
which may be viewed by the industry as a source of information about energy
awareness in Irish theatre. That through the correlation of results and
investigative research of implemented sustainable work practices and
technologies, a direction to advance these procedures here may be better
realised. It is hoped that with the right set of guidelines theatres may accrue
fiscal savings while greening their work practices and buildings.

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B. Madden May 2011
3.4.2 Objectives
 Gauge the level of energy awareness in Irish theatre.
 To benchmark those findings against the London standard as set out
by the literature review and surveys, and if necessary, also assess the
level of awareness there.
 Provide some insight into efficient procedures which Irish theatres
may implement to realise fiscal and operational savings.
 Assess what barriers there maybe to implementing such procedures.
 Investigate what sustainable and easily installable procedures could be
best suited to the theatre setting.
 To assess the need for energy audits to be carried out on theatres and
assess whether specific information must be gathered to for these to be
effective.
 Meet with industry professionals and review how they perceive energy
efficiency might best be achieved in theatre.
 Assess the level of communication between industry departments,
energy aware forums and efficiency organisations.
 Quantify the affect theatre productions may have on the environment.
 Produce a list of tips and websites that propagate energy efficiency in
theatre.
3.5 Restrictions and limitations to research
The limitations for this dissertation can be attributed to the inherent questions
posed by it. The assessing of Irish audiences carbon footprint was met with
resistance from some departments within the industry. The survey planned
for audiences was deemed to be too intrusive and was halted very early on in
the project. One marketing manager felt that the questioning of comfort levels

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B. Madden May 2011
in the auditorium might inadvertently cause patrons to question their
satisfaction with the overall experience of the show. Likewise the attitude met
with, for this evaluation, was one of questioning the necessity of altering the
climate controls for a system which patrons were not complaining about. This
could be viewed as a lack of understanding between the implementation of
efficient systems and fiscal savings that could be realised.
These limitations caused a serious barrier to the assessment of audience’s
awareness of the Green theatre idea and their expectations from a show.
Could the theatre save money by assessing the audience’s preference to show
attendance by?
 The cast (well known actors)
 The writer or Director
 The quality of production (set size, lighting, extravaganza)
 Repeat custom due to past experiences in this theatre
 Critics or friend recommendation
Hence a connection between a productions size and the theatrical enjoyment
element could not be assessed.
3.6 Ethical considerations
3.6.1 Survey considerations
The ethical considerations for this dissertation focused mainly on the
qualitative research. Respondents would be questioned in a non-intrusive
manner. Furthermore to this all respondents and their comments would
remain anonymous. ‘The corner stone of research ethics is that respondents
should be offered the opportunity to have their identity hidden in a research
report’ (Oliver, P. 2003. p. 77)

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B. Madden May 2011
3.6.2 Organisation considerations
Any organisations directly involved, who freely gave information on their
operational habits, would not be subjected to having their monetary profits or
incomes listed within.
All secondary companies indirectly involved in the research whose methods
and findings came into question would remain anonymous. For example the
auditing company in the Abbey Centre energy audit.
3.6.3 Investigatory theatre visits
All research visits to the theatres listed in this thesis were carried out under
the supervision of the technical or facilities staff.

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B. Madden May 2011
4.0 Sample show carbon calculation
This is a sample carbon calculation for the show ‘DA’ by Hugh Leonard, as
produced by the Abbey theatre, Dublin 5/7/2002. The attributes and
constraints for the production pertinent to the calculations and its
methodology are listed in appendix A.
4.1 Results
Figure 4-1 gives a brake down of the carbon results for this show.
Figure 4-1 Shows carbon calculation results
4.2 Conclusion
The results in figure 4-1 show the significant energy users and processes
which are associated with the show. It can be seen that the paper and set
materials waste is very high and equates to nearly 1/5th
of the total carbon
emissions for the show. In total this production would yield 5.264 tonnes of
CO2
. If there were seven such shows a year in this theatre it would produce
36.8tonnes/year. The ‘Green Theatre’ paper referenced 130 London theatres in

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B. Madden May 2011
its calculations. If the same calculation was used for Ireland, this would
produce 4000+ tonnes of CO2
a year, which is less than 1/10th
the 50,000 tonnes
listed in that paper.
4.2.1 Hierarchy of specific energy users
This exercise also demonstrates the allocation of energy users in the theatre.
These users can be clearly seen in the above figure and the major users have
been set out in the recommendations section that follows.
4.2.2 Recommendations for reducing carbon footprint
Set materials construction and waste are the two highest contributors to CO2
emissions under two headings. It is felt that this number could be reduced by;
 Recycling more set materials.
 Storing more set materials.
 Using materials with a smaller carbon footprint.
 Utilising materials from sustainable providers such as sustainable
forests.
It is felt that there is little to be done to reduce this figure as patrons keep their
programs and the onus is on them to recycle them. It may be possible to:
 Use an on-site recycling facility that patrons can utilise after a show
finishes. However the program cost in such instance would possibly
need to be low or wavered completely.
The venue size would not change and therefore this could be taken as the
base load for comfort heating and cooling. (This calculator does not take into
account how the auditorium is heated, or the efficiency of the system)

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B. Madden May 2011
5.0 Energy conservation in the Grand Canal Theatre
5.1 Energy savings in theatre construction and services
5.1.1 Introduction
The Grand Canal theatre is one of the newest built theatres in Ireland (18-3-
2010). From conception to the first show took 18 years, but it was built in less
than 3 years. The long pre-build work on this building meant that the facilities
and design were purpose built to complement the work to be carried out,
designed by world renowned architect Daniel Libskind.
5.1.2 Facilities and Control
The HVAV facilities in the Grand Canal theatre are broken up into servicing
three different areas of the building. These are:
 Backstage area = 1AHU
 Auditorium = 2 AHU
 FOH (bar, box office, and atrium) = 1 AHU
The two in the auditorium are positioned with one split in two which feeds
from either side of the auditorium, and the other from under the floor for flow
at each patron’s seat. Baffles are used to regulate the flow at each seat, so that
seats closer to the AHU do not receive a greater flow rate than those at the
other end of the supply. This AHU has the option to offer further ventilation
from under the orchestra pit. This motorized pit can be lowered for use or
raised to floor level, providing extra seating when necessary. This extra
ventilation is only utilized when there is an orchestra in show.

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B. Madden May 2011
The backstage AHU is equipped with floor dampeners, which can cut off
different floors dependent on how much of the building is in use during show
time. As this area houses the performer’s dressing rooms the number of cast
on a specific show will have an effect on how many of these rooms will be
occupied.
Figure 5-1Elavation of the Grand Canal Theatre's AHU flow system
(The fourth AHU is from either side of the auditorium and is not shown in
side elevation.)
The seating capacity of this venue is 2111 seats, which makes it one of the
larger spaces in the country. The regulated auditorium heating is @ approx.
20°C. This temperature may change by as much as 5°C on a warm day with a
full house. The return temperature is measured by thermostats in the ceiling
space; as hot air rises however, the actual temperature read by these
thermostats can be misleading and must be taken into account for level
adjustment.

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B. Madden May 2011
For extra heating capability the stage area is fitted with radiators on the back
wall. This is to allow heating for dancers and actors warming up time before
show without affecting the other areas of the building. These are also fitted
with TRVs (Thermostat Radiator Valves) to meet efficiency requirements.
The Atrium area is provided by a single AHU and the natural heating of this
area through solar gains circulates air from the bar and glazed floor area
around the rest of the atrium.
 As the AHU
feeds air into the
atrium area, the body
heat of the audience
and the solar gains in
the day time heat this
air and cause it to
rise.
 As the air rises
into the space above
the atrium it cools
and begins its decent into the bar and foyer area once more.
 This is also true for warm air being fed into the area at night which is
cooled by the glass in the atrium as it rises and starts its decent once
more. This causes a natural circulation of air which is favourable, as it
cuts down on the cost of mechanical air circulation.
Figure 5-2 Natural air flow in the atrium

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B. Madden May 2011
5.1.3 Use of air curtains
During get-ins and load outs there is an air curtain fitted over the scene dock
door. It is operated automatically to match the temperature of the stage area
when the door is opened.
There is a further air curtain in the box office where there is local control, to
set climate controls there without affecting the rest of the FOH area. The main
entrance is fitted with two 12kW air curtains. These are used to limit the loss
of heating through the open doors at pre-show times, normally an hour
before the curtain goes up. These electric heaters have been found to lack the
necessary heating requirements. They are to be replaced by a LPHW system
which will utilise the water heated in the building and bring the base
temperature of the new units to a higher level so as to lessen the amount of
energy required to reach the optimum temperature.

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B. Madden May 2011
5.1.4 BMS Control
The entire AHU and HVAC control system was installed and commissioned
by Standard Control Systems. The user interface is by the ‘Trend 963
graphics-based supervisor’. This system can control all of the buildings
services on a central computer. This means that only the facilities manager
and his staff have the ability to make major changes in the way the facilities
operate.
Figure 5-3 The real time display of the Trend 963 supervisor
Figure 5-4 Viewpoints being monitored by supervisor

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B. Madden May 2011
5.1.5 Manual and local control
There is some local control afforded to this system. For example the FOH
manager is able to change the level of heating in the auditorium if they
receive an adequate number of complaints about comfort levels on a
particular night. They are not however, able to alter the flow rate of air in the
auditorium as the system was balanced when designed so that the ratio of
input and extract never changes even if the flow rate is increased or
decreased.
Another example of how there is local control is in the kitchen area. In this
area the extract and the gas supply are linked for safety. The gas cannot be
turned on by the kitchen staff unless the facilities manager turns on the
extractor. They can however turn off the gas themselves when they leave at
night.
5.1.6 Results from the BMS
At the time of opening, the theatre’s overnight base load was recorded at
75kW. Thanks to the Trend 963, and some investigatory work by the facilities
management this load was reduced to 45kW a night. Small measures like
fitting timers on the vending machines helped in dropping the base load. This
shows how the BMS can be used in reactive as well as preventative building
management.
5.1.7 Lighting
The lighting in the Grand Canal theatre is a mixture of many different forms,
dependent on the job specification for the area. The stage area will have its
performance related lighting which may be metal arc, in the case of
motorized, moving luminaries, or tungsten filament in the case of the more

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B. Madden May 2011
generic lighting rig. This area has whatever lighting is required for the show
and energy usage is at the discretion of the lighting designer, which may or
may not be considered at the design stages of the show.
The stage is also fitted with work light at a high level above and to the side of
the stage. This is provided by T5 twin tube fluorescent fittings which are
fitted with electronic ballasts for extra efficiency.
The auditorium lighting is provided by a range of light sources:
 Metal haloids are located above the sound baffles for the general work
to be carried out, while shows are not taking place
 Halogen down lighters provide a good quality light
 LEDs situated on the sound baffles
 LED down lighters fixed into the walls which reflect against its surface
helping to sculpt them
Although the halogen lights are not the most energy efficient, they are
necessary to give the warm, good quality light required. They help the
audience’s perception of the space on arrival and exit. This lack of efficiency is
offset by the many LEDs which are located in groups around the auditorium.
These actually do the most amount of work where lux are concerned, and are
RGB. This means that there is great colour variation possible in their output.
5.1.8 Auditorium lighting Controls
The auditorium system is fed back to a UNISON control system. This is a
system, manufactured by ETC lighting company, can communicate and dim
both the LED and halogen system together. The control is located at the
company stage manager’s desk on stage. This is so that in the event of an
emergency the company stage manager, who’s in charge of the timings and

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B. Madden May 2011
movements on stage, can bring up the house lights even if the communication
system to the control box breaks down.
5.1.9 DALI system
Lighting in the FOH area is controlled by the DALI (digital address lighting
interface) system.
The DALI lighting system is a means for a lighting arrangement to be
controlled from a centrally operated interface. The ballasts in each lighting
arrangement are given an address and in this way the DALI system can tell
the units from one another. DALI uses its own protocol to then tell the units
the intensity it requires them to be at. Different arrangements can be
programmed into different arrays so that you can affect one section of lighting
without affecting another. The system also relays back information on usage
hours and other lamp information.
This system most importantly allows you to reconfigure your lighting system
without having to do any physical work on the lighting arrangements. This is
infinitely advantageous in the theatre and entertainment sector as it allows
different parts of the building to be used for different purposes at different
times.
The FOH area also utilises PIR. These PIRs combined with DALI settings add
to the overall efficiency of the installation. For example the ‘security’ setting
allows lighting to remain at a low level and when activated the PIRs only
increase the light level slightly.
There are three main modes set out by the DALI system these are:
 Performance
 Dark day

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B. Madden May 2011
 Show mode
These settings allow for greater flexibility, increasing the benefits which can
be obtained from the system. In show mode the PIR’s are automatically
switched off to avoid light leaking into the auditorium through opening
doors. The light level is also set lower at night for mood lighting rather than
task lighting. There are no daylight sensors in this system, which offers more
control. Instead the system relies on an astrological clock which alters the
timing of ‘Show’ mode dependant on the time of year. The FOH luminaries
are all double 14 Watt CFL’s with emergency fittings located at appropriate
intervals.
5.1.10 DALI lighting system conclusion
This system is very useful for large theatres and spaces which may go
through constant flux with regards to how the different areas of the building
are utilised, perhaps where performances take place in different parts of the
building at differing times. The use of this system in a smaller venue with a
fixed performance area may not be a viable option.
5.1.11 Technology in auditorium construction
The engineering firm Arup, was appointed to provide acoustic design and
technical theatre systems as well as the civil, structural, building services and
traffic engineering in the Grand Canal Theatre. The shape and materials used
in the auditorium are imperative in a large, touring venue such as the Grand
Canal. This is because of the possibility of accepting large opera, recital and
ballet pieces for which good sound quality and visibility is paramount.
Arup engineering used a computer programme called SoundLab which
allows an engineer to hear what the given space will sound like before a

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B. Madden May 2011
single foundation block is laid. This means that new energy saving materials
can be thought of and tested in the planning stages for acoustic quality and
used or dismissed on this basis. The SoundLab then stores all information
and can reference its findings against hundreds of other venues’ sound
quality from its database. This allows designers and engineers to compare
venues at the click of a button which may be located thousands of kilometres
apart.
5.1.12 Use of LEDs backstage
The use of LEDs backstage ‘Blues’ in the Grand canal theatre gives great
scope for isolation and savings. The backstage blues are to provide luminance
during a performance at a level so as to not interfere with the performance.
This task lighting is generally done by using darkly gelled and cowled,
bulkheads or tungsten fittings on stands or clips. This inevitably leads to;
 Excess light spill
 Excess heat and reduced lamp life due to cowling
 Cabling ran and re-ran as stage requirements change
 Use of tape and cable mats to secure cables (possible trip hazard)
Figure 5-6 Clip on Anglepoise
With the use of the ‘Unison’ system, the Grand Canal Theatre is able to, not
only set the required lumen level, but also select and alter the array that best
Figure 5-5 Bulkhead fitting

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B. Madden May 2011
suits the performance. All LEDs are 3 watt, IP 65 rating and supplied on a 12V
system via cable tray, conduit or trunking.
Benefits include
 Less cable re-runs
 Less light leak / Cowling accessory
 More array control
 Longer lamp life
 Uniform colour throughout
 During performance control
5.2 Energy savings through work practices
5.2.1 Savings in good facilities management
The facilities staff in the Grand Canal Theatre have taken up the mantle of
greening the work practices in their building. Although the building itself is
new and comes with all the necessary technology to provide an energy
Figure 5-7 Blue Beam LED (GDS 2010)
Figure 5-8 The Blues system in use
(GDS 2010)
Figure 5-9 Blue Dome system fitted on
conduit
(GDS 2010)

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B. Madden May 2011
efficient environment, these benefits are of little consequence if the wrong
work practices are employed there.
The facilities manager, Shay Bowden, states that the best way to achieve
energy efficient working practices is to address the problems from a bi-
directional approach, both up and down the chain of command. For example:
1. Provide departments with an analogy that can be directly related to their
work. For example if the FOH staff do not compact the boxes every night
before placing them in the recycling skip, they will have to sell 30 extra
cartons of popcorn a night to cover the cost.
2. Make managers responsible for the short comings of their staff. This way
the message is not continuously repeated by the facilities manager.
3. Recommend that a sign off sheet is kept to place responsibility on the
general staff and that this sheet is checked by the manager each night.
4. Try to connect different facets of the building and therefore come up with
efficient work practices. For example, a mixed recycling skip is €16 for
collection and a recyclable one is €4. To reap the benefits of this Mr.
Bowden suggested that there be a two tier clean-up in the auditorium after
shows. The first person empties the popcorn into a bag and then drops the
box, while another person comes along directly behind and takes only the
boxes. This takes very little extra time or labour but accrues a saving of €12
per skip filled.
5. Be open to new ideas and technologies to further ones knowledge. Mr.
Bowden comes from an electrical, construction based background, but has
taken on the role of facilities manager in a very complex new building,
utilising up-to-the minute BMS technologies, and is realising energy
savings by getting to know the building, its job and the new technology
around him.

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5.2.2 Savings in automation
The Grand Canal Theatre when opened consumed a large amount of power
for its base load. One problem the technicians discovered was that the
magnetising of the stage motors was contributing to over 20A per phase.
Their solution was to keep the controls on standby but switch the motors
mechanics off when not in use. This now means that it can take 8 sec to
magnetise and operate the winch, but saves on energy requirements.
5.3 Power requirements for staging ‘The Sound of Music’
The following readings were taken from the mains room of the Grand Canal
Theatre on 16 April 2011.
On arrival to the LV mains room the pre-show levels of the overall readings
on the mains incoming were recorded as:
414+/- 5A. With kVAr: -66kVAr
At this point some of the lighting rig was turned on to facilitate checks and
pre-show warming of luminaires.
The motorised luminaire units are struck and left on at this point as they are
metalarc lamps which have a re-strike time unacceptable during the show’s
running.
The LX 102 meter whose sub-board is located at the USL side of the stage
handled all of the over stage lighting in this performance.

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Table 5-1 LX 102 sub board readings
kW kVAr kVA I1 I2 I3
Preshow 52.32 -8.49 53.01 110.6 49.3 66.8
Show Start 64.65 -08.04 65 136 99 113
Show
Bright
82.23 -07.24 82.56 132.8 96.5 121.9
Table 5-2 Mains board readings
KW kVAr kVA I1 I2 I3 P.F.
Preshow 410.9 -68 416 652 578 553 .985
Show St 449 61.5 468 640 680 607 .98
Show
Bright
395.4 17.6 407 606 612 535 .98cap
Table 5-3 LX 101
kW kVAr kVA I1 I2 I3 PF
Preshow - - - - - - -
Show
Start
.75 24 24 36 32 34 .03Ind
Show
Bright
- - - - - - -

53
B. Madden May 2011
Table LX101 dealt with the automotive side of the show for the operation of
motors etc. However the load requirements did not change while inspection
was taking place on the night. For this reason the load has merely been noted
at the show start.
5.3.1 Conclusions on power requirements
It can be seen in table 5-2 that the overall power requirement in the building
dropped considerably during the bright scene. The time this happened was
noted to be 20:00hrs. On subsequent queering it was found that the
astrological clock for the foyer lighting would reduce the lumen output
considerably at this time. It was also remarked that the auditorium AHU
extraction would shut down at around this time.
The escalation in power consumption for the lighting rack at the side of the
stage can be viewed as from 52kW to 82kW. This does not take the FOH
lighting into account. To assess this certain factors must be considered.
 The FOH lighting for this building are split over 2.5kW and 750W
lamps, however the show is only using 2.5kW lamps.
 The number of FOH luminaires at any instance can change but 50%+ of
what is used over stage is not a large number to assume. (Liam
Fitzgerald, 2011)
This could bring the total show lighting up to nearly 130kW.
On a 2hour show which is 50% dark lit and 50% brightly lit this could add up
to 213kWhrs. (130kW + 65kW + (72kW, for AHU and Atrium lighting / 4) =
18kW)
This adds up to over a quarter of the buildings energy needs on this particular
night. It must be remembered that the Grand Canal Theatre is a very large

54
B. Madden May 2011
BMS regulated building and without this BMS the requirements might be
much larger.
Figure 5-8Grand Canal Theatre mains room
Figure 5-9 Metering readout
Figure 5-10 Suspension for reduced services vibration

55
B. Madden May 2011
6.0 Energy audit evaluation of The Abbey Centre
6.1 Introduction
In February 2009, The Abbey Centre, Tirconnail Street, Ballyshannon, Co.
Donegal, engaged with an energy auditing company to investigate the use of
energy in their theatre. Ms. Maura Logue has kindly permitted the results of
this audit to be referenced in this thesis.
The Summary action plan came back with some suggestions as to how energy
could be saved. These suggestions are listed in table 6-1.

Green Theatre; Analysis of Current Operational Methods and Recommendations
for Effective Energy Initiatives
56
B. Madden May 2011
Table 6-1 Suggestions for energy actions, Abbey Centre, Co. Donegal

57
B. Madden May 2011
6.1.1 Assessing the audits summary report
It can be seen from the report that the auditor placed a large emphasis on the
installation of energy efficient lighting in the building. This would be in
keeping with savings listed in other case studies where the lighting in a
building can account for up to 60% of the overall energy needs of the
building. (Eastwood, 2011, pp. 1) The savings possible from replacing
tungsten fittings with T5 fluorescents and high performance, high frequency
ballasts are also well documented to be in the 60 – 70 percentiles. (Eastwood,
2011, pp. 18)
The auditor makes no reference to the use of energy for show lighting or for
the comfort levels in the auditoria. This could show that there is a lack of
understanding as to the allocation of energy for a facility of this kind.
Effective engineering must explore the cause and effect attitude. The audit of
a particular business can only be successful if one understands the
constraints, freedoms and client links that a business possesses. One must
collect “information on the structural and mechanical components that affect
the building energy use and about the operational characteristics of the
facility.” (A.Trumann and Younger, 2008. p.4)
The auditor points out later in the report that there is a large amount of water
consumed on-site and that investigatory work carried out to check for leaking
pipes or taps might be prudent. He calculates that the Abbey Centre
consumes an average of 4,030liters/day of water worked out from the
combined cost of wastewater and water @ €2.41/m3
. The site uses 1,471m3
of
water annually at a cost of €4,408. He sees as being ‘quite high for the limited
number of staff on site’ and remarks that the toilets are of the ‘old 12ltr type’.
There is a slight discrepancy in his statement of ‘limited number of staff on

58
B. Madden May 2011
site’. This is the basis for this thesis stating that there needs to be specific
audits carried out for theatres and places of entertainment.
6.1.2 The use of water in the Abbey Centre
The Abbey centre has 3 venues with a total possible seated attendance of 450
in its auditoria plus two more foyer meeting areas available.
If 250 people use the toilets during the course for their show and 50 more use
the toilets after the performance whilst attending the bar, then the total litres
of water used for that show, just on toilet trips in a night could amount to
3,600litres/show. If there were late functions in the other two meeting foyers
or if there was a matinee, then it can be seen how this figure could be easily
reached.
The auditor’s suggestion of harnessing the water fed from the nearby stream
is a sound proposal and could indeed save the Centre money in water costs.
6.2 Ways to minimise waste
6.2.1 Flush controls
As mentioned in the Audit, flush controls would be way that a theatre could
minimise its water wastage. In many theatres the old needle valve system of
urinal flushing is used. This is an outdated and very wasteful form of flush
control. The replacing of these with individual PIRs over single urinals or the
use of occupancy or timed sensors in the case of communal urinals – perhaps
flushing before and after the interval times and again before the close of
business - might be a way of making savings on this type of flush system.

59
B. Madden May 2011
The Black Box theatre in Galway has fitted a stop flush button on the cisterns
of the toilets. This however relies on the patron to stop the flush themselves if
they choose to. There are many products on the market to convert toilet
cisterns to a low flush system. There are stop flush buttons which as stated
above rely on the patron. There are split flush systems which utilise a double
flush for minimum and maximum water output and there are PIR systems
which flush as enters.
6.2.2 Conversion of a cistern into a low flush system
To convert a normal 12ltre flush toilet into a low flush toilet system you can
use the displacement of water to your advantage.
 Firstly select an object or piece of material
which will not corrode in water that is of
relevant size and of appropriate weight so
as to resist floating in the cistern. Perhaps a
filled milk bottle as shown.
 Flush the toilet
 While the cistern refills place the object in side
Replace the lid
Figure 6-3 Replace
the lid (wikihow
2011)
Figure 6-2 Insertion
(wikihow 2011)
Figure 6-1 Water filled
milk bottle
(wikihow2011)

60
B. Madden May 2011
You have now converted your cistern into a low flush system. The piece of
material takes the place of water which would have been used in the flushing
process and therefore uses less water as a result. This simple process can save
up to 1325ltrs a month on a single cistern (Wikihow 2011).
6.2.3 Fire Block®
The Fire Block ® Company lists its fire block spray as a ‘revolutionary
product’ in the fire retardant spray industry. The spray is an eco-friendly,
biodegradable plant based formulation which is PH neutral. It works by
forming its own thermal barrier around the material it protects while
inhibiting the development of toxic hydrocarbon smoke.
The product can be used on any class A type surface. (Primarily porous) This
class includes:
 Timber
 Cotton
 Paper
 Furnishings
This may be a solution to issues that could be raised by treated timber and
materials, making them suitable for recycling.
6.2.4 Sine wave dimming
Dimming in a theatre performance is different to the dimming employed in a
house or even bar setting. The dimming unit’s capabilities must mimic a
particular power output curve, known in the entertainment lighting business
as a profile. In the beginning the dimmers that controlled the current and
therefore the lumen output of the luminaire, were resistive circuits. Even

61
B. Madden May 2011
though these dimmers had the required linier profile, Casey Diers’ writes that
this type of dimmer had two drawbacks;
 The transference of all excess voltage into heat, which created
unnecessary power consumption.
 The inability to control the dimming remotely
Later the inclusion of a Thyratron Tube in the dimming circuit now meant
that the dimmer could be controlled remotely via a 10V DC signal.
The Thyatron Tube works on the principal of potential differences between a
contained anode and cathode, either hot or cold start, and the ionisation of the
gas filled vacuum tube which surrounds them. As the voltage increases the
gas ionises allowing current to flow between the anode and cathode, causing
the luminaire to light. This is a form of electrical switching was more efficient
but lacked the necessary control of profile. (Anon. (2002))
The later type of dimmers contained solid state switches, such as silicon-
controlled rectifiers (SCR) and later solid-state relays (SSR), however the
resistive style linear curve associated with the resistive dimmers was never
repeated (Diers, 2009).
Sine Wave Dimming is a form of pulse width medullisation (PWM) (Diers,
2009). This is where the output current is manipulated by altering the shape of
the wave form rather than chopping it as with the solid state switching
dimming type. The voltage wave form is now an exact replica of the initial
wave form but just reduced in amplitude. Benefits of PWM dimmers:
 Reduced noise
 Increased lamp life
 Reduced cost in energy requirements (Less waste in the form of heat)
 Better manipulation of profile
 Reduced cost in energy requirements

62
B. Madden May 2011
6.3 Rainwater harvesting
Rainwater harvesting has been around since the dawn of time, but now with
new storage technologies and with tarrifs being introduced for domestic
water usage around the country, it has enjoied a resurgance in the domestic
and commercial market in recent years.
The amount of work which goes into purifying water for everyday usage is
phonominal (Conway 2011). The need for water to be purified to drinking
standard for toilet use, cleaning and gardening is unnecessary. For this reason
many individuals are turning to rainwater harvesting.
6.3.1 Principals of Rainwater harvesting
1. Calming the water. Water should be directed to the bottom of the tank
where it can then fill the tanks volume without unnecessary
displacement and movement.
2. Overflow must be allowed periodically. The tank must be allowed
overflow at least twice a year (BNM, 2009) to provide access to skim
debris from the top of the water.
3. Extract from the tank. This should be carried out from just below the
surface to negate the introduction of floating of sunken sedimentary
debris into the system.
To facilitate point three, a weighted, floating mesh filter is utilized. This
allows water to be siphoned off from under the surface.

63
B. Madden May 2011
6.3.2 Parts of the system
No matter what rain water harvesting system is opted
for they all have a similar make up. They will all have:
1. A leaf and debris filtration system. This devise
should be easily accessed for regular cleaning,
2. A storage tank. This can be located above or below
ground and should be sized to your individual
needs.
3. An overflow trap or outlet for over flow
capability.
4. An intake pipe.
5. An outlet pipe or tap
6. A floating suction filter or some similar system
for accessing the water below the surface.
7. An external pump may be required
Figure 6-4 Leaf, debris
filter
(BNM 2009)
Figure 6-6 Suction filter
(BNM 2009)
Figure 6-5 Overflow system
(BNM 2009)

64
B. Madden May 2011
Figure 6-7 Small Rainwater Harvesting system (Jones 2009)
Figure 6-8 Large rainwater harvesting system
(Jones, 2009)

65
B. Madden May 2011
6.3.3 Rainwater harvesting uses and benefits
Rainwater harvesting can be used for all non potable applications whether it
be in the domestic or commercial setting. Uses such as;
 Toilet Flushing
 Wash down
 Vehicle washing
 Irrigation
 Washing machines
Some benefits for rainwater harvesting installations would be:
 Can save up to 50% mains water usage
 Reduced water bills
 Improves sustainability of water use
 Adds value to property
 Low maintenance
 Soft rainwater creates no lime scale
 Below ground tank (cool and dark), low visual impact, no algae growth
(Bord Na Mona, 2009)
 Improved water security for rationed months
Benefits exclusive commercial setting;
 Large roof space for collection
 Replace or back up metered consumption
 Higher buildings can lead to greater gravity pressure for the system

66
B. Madden May 2011
6.3.4 Rainwater harvesting for a medium sized theatre
To assess the value of a system such as rainwater harvesting certain
assumptions and factors must be taken into
account.
1. The average rainfall in the area
2. The pitch and drainage of the roof
3. The area of the roof
4. Effective collection area
5. The amount of water lost in the filtration
process
6. The amount of water lost in evaporation
 The mean rainfall in Malin head for the last
30 years is recorded at 1060mm (Met
Éireann, 2011)
 The roof area is 300m2 with 100% effective
collection area
 The roof is a mix of flat with smooth flashing and pitched. Factor = 0.7
 Loss due to evaporation = 0.4 , Factor = 0.6
 Filter loss = 0.1, Factor = 0.9 (Peacock Irrigation, 2010)
Above figures available from peacock irrigation (UK), except precipitation
and drainage value.
Calculation:
300m2
x 0.7 x 0.6 x 0.9 x 1060mm = 120,204ltr/year,
120.2m3
/ year
Figure 6-9 30 year rain fall (met Éireann,
2011)

67
B. Madden May 2011
The audit stated that the yearly usage for water in the Abbey Centre theatre as
being 1,471m3
.
This rainwater harvesting system could replace 8% of the required water for
that theatre keeping in mind that the theatre is charged €2.41/m3 for its water
this could equate to an annual saving of:
€290 per annum
Figure 6-10The Abbey Centre Ballyshannon

68
B. Madden May 2011
7.0 Energy awareness in theatre
7.1 The Irish respondents
7.1.1 Introduction
The Irish professional’s survey was titled, ‘Energy awareness in Irish theatre’.
The title would hopefully, lead the respondent to answer with careful
consideration; manifested in with the word ‘awareness’. Likewise the theatres
survey was titled ‘Energy efficiency in Irish theatre, hoping that the word
efficient would evoke a sense of savings and benefits for managers.
A number of preference questions were asked. This gave a much wider scope
for the questions. Combined with questions which gave the respondents the
option to expand on their answers made for a larger cross section of answers,
but it was felt that a more complete result could be achieved by providing
this.
It was important to assess the location and work habits of the questionnaire
respondents. This would show that there were respondents from all over
Ireland and with differing skills base within the theatre sector that took part.
7.1.2 Interest in the questionnaire
It was hoped that by offering respondents the opportunity of expanding on
their answers that the interest of professionals on the topics posed could be
gauged. The success of including this option can be seen in the figure 7-1.

69
B. Madden May 2011
Figure 7-1 People who expanded on their answers
This shows that professionals in the Irish industry have a lot to say on energy
awareness in Irish theatre. The breakdown of how they utilized this option is
also interesting. This can be seen in table 6-1 and the percentages of the
overall are shown in figure 7-2 below.
Table 7-1 Allocation of expanded answers
Question # Actual numbers who answered
Question 4 17
Question 6 6
Question 7 29
Question 9 11
Question 10 18
91%
9%
People Expanding on Their Answers
Answered at least one optional expanded questions
Did not answer any optional expanded questions

70
B. Madden May 2011
Figure 7-2 Allocation of expanded answers
NB. This is a percentage of the total number of people who answered the
specific question
The total number of questionnaires sent out was seventy five. Of this number
thirty two answered. The breakdown of departments who answered verses
the departments that did not can be assessed in figure 7-3. It was important to
establish the level of awareness across departments and which department
was more likely to respond to the survey from the outset.
Question 4, 54% Question
6, 19.20%
Question 7,
92.80%
Question 9,
35.20%
Question 10,
57.60%

71
B. Madden May 2011
7.1.3 Assessing the professional background of the respondents
Figure 7-3 Work placement chart
Figure 7-3 offers some insight into the people who answered the survey, to
really assess the level of energy awareness in departments it is necessary to
allocate a percentage to the number of people in a department who answered
and compare that to the number of people per department surveyed. As the
numbers in each department varies it is prudent to list:
 The number of people surveyed per department
 The percentage of those who answered
 Their percentage of the total surveyed
As the total number surveyed in some departments may be as low as one or
two, personal reservations on taking part should not be overlooked when
analyzing the following information.

72
B. Madden May 2011
Table 7-2 Total per department surveyed who complete the questionnaire
Department
Department
as a
Percentage
of Total
Surveyed
Total
Surveyed
in
Department
Percentage
Answered
per
Department
Technical 31.1% 23 86.95%(20)
Costume 2.7% 2 0%
Stage management 9.45% 7 42.8%(3)
Set construction 4.05% 3 33.33%(1)
Stage craft 5.4% 4 0%
Performance (acting, dance, etc.) 20.27% 15 6.66% (1)
Administration (inc. Production,
marketing, pr, etc.)
18.91% 14 28.57% (4)
Directing 1.35% 1 100% (1)
FOH (bar, usher, etc.) 5.4% 4 25% (1)
Box office 1.35% 1 100% (1)
7.1.4 Making sense of the findings
There are some major findings here already in the results of this question. The
technical department, although was the largest number of people per

73
B. Madden May 2011
department surveyed, they were still the largest to respond and as will
become apparent later, had the most comments to offer on the issues raised.
The least well responded were the performance group. The total surveyed
was fifteen – the second largest in the total surveyed – and yet had the worst
response rate, with only one answering. Even though costume and stage craft
had no responses, the total surveyed in those departments was very low, with
two and four respectively.
7.1.5 Assessing the location of the respondents
Figure 7-4 Location of theatres surveyed
It can be seen from the figure above that the largest amounts of respondent’s
theatres were from Leinster. Unfortunately of the 54 theatres surveyed
country wide of 17 that responded none were from Ulster.

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