SATCo reuses costumes, props, and set designs to offset theatre waste.
Photo by Savannah O’Heany
When putting on several productions, each with new sets and costumes, theatre students have to get creative to avoid excessive waste. Knowing this, UVic’s Student Alternative Theatre Company (SATCo) works hard to reuse clothing, props, and materials to keep its department sustainable.
Dani Snyder-Blok, SATCo’s writing representative, told the Martlet there are several ways SATCo avoids wasting clothes. The biggest strategy is their clothing stock on campus, which students can use when cultivating a show’s wardrobe. This stock is full of options like shoes, belts, petticoats, and t-shirts — all items that SATCo frequently repurposes for their performances.
Because these items are well cared for, they’re reused multiple times, and stay in circulation for years. Some items, Snyder-Blok said, have been in the costume stock as long as she can remember.
Additionally, SATCo tends to get crafty. If an item doesn’t match the costume designer’s vision, or fit properly, it can be dyed and sewn. The dye used is permanent, so a lot of consideration takes place before the pieces enter the dyeing vaults. Sewing changes, however, aren’t permanent. Usually, when clothes are taken in or hemmed, the extra fabric is cut off and tossed.
But SATCo doesn’t cut off additional fabric; they just tuck it in. That way, the costume fits the actor for the duration of the show, then the hemming can be undone, ready to be worn by the next character.
If the necessary pieces aren’t in the costume stock, they begin sourcing elsewhere. Items are often sourced from Value Village and the cast’s personal wardrobes. While Value Village, as a thrift store, is known for its sustainability, Snyder-Blok said, it’s also affordable, allowing SATCo to continue finding sustainable costumes without straining their budget.
“We’re all theatre students, and we have [our own] crazy wardrobe pieces,” Snyder-Blok said, meaning cast wardrobes are perfect place to source various other items the company doesn’t already have.
Of course, roadblocks are expected when trying to stay sustainable. Sometimes, a costume design is unattainable because the stock doesn’t have the right colour or fit, forcing costume designers to pivot and change their vision for the show.
They are also always in need of pantyhose. This item is commonly used, and must be frequently repurchased as they break down quickly. One pair of pantyhose usually lasts an actor for an entire show run, or about a couple of months, so they get as much use as possible before needing replacement.
Not only is SATCo careful to reuse clothing, but they also have a few tricks to reduce waste in their props department. Like the costume stock, there is a prop stock on campus for students to access, alongside a workshop where alterations can be made. Set designers work with lots of repurposed materials, sometimes even cardboard. A popular alteration, Snyder-Blok told the Martlet, is repainting furniture. They use a heat gun to remove previous paint layers and strip it down to its original base, allowing them to easily paint a fresh coat.
In a recent main stage production, The Importance of Being Earnest, several pieces of furniture were painted green, red, or yellow. After the show finished, they stripped the colour off, so these pieces could be reused for future shows. One item was reused in an MFA student’s project this year.
But SATCo’s sustainability efforts don’t end there. When an item becomes unusable, they allow actors to take pieces home, or sell them. Smaller scraps, like pieces of fabric or threads from sewing, are brought to a proper textile recycling facility.
Theatre can be wasteful, said Snyder-Blok, “because you take something and you give it a life, and then there’s nowhere for it to go, sometimes, because it’s so specific.” Even so, SATCo and UVic theatre students are making a concerted effort to reduce waste with every show they stage.
