Broadway Green Alliance Honors 2017 College Green Captain Contest Winner

Hamilton Green Captain Seth Stewart announced the prize at the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, Inc. (USITT) Annual Conference & Stage Expo on March 9, 2017. This year's prize includes two tickets to Hamilton, and a backstage tour.

The BGA College Green Captain program is modeled after the successful Broadway Green Captain program, in which a cast or crew member of every Broadway show volunteers to serve as the BGA liaison for the production for all things environmentally friendly. College Green Captains are self-selected members of a college or university theatre department who are committed to greening one or more of the department's productions. College Green Captains are encouraged to find a faculty or staff Green Captain to partner in greening efforts.

The BGA launched this contest to honor and reward College Green Captains for their efforts. Some examples of greener practices include energy-efficient lighting, rechargeable batteries, educating the cast and crew about better environmental practices, recycling or composting on the set, and more. Past recipients have brought innovative, creative, or widely-applied greening and energy-efficient methods into the design or production of theatre at their campuses. This year's submissions were so strong that the panel agreed to recognize two students.

The 2017 contest winner is Olivia Ranseen, Green Captain at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. Olivia obtained funding from the university and has been working to green the practices of its Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance with faculty advisor and Associate Professor, Paul Brunner. Using the university's 2016-2017 production of Duchess of Malfi as a case study, Olivia analyzed and improved various elements of the department: they have switched to rechargeable batteries, and are working to upgrade to LED lights. Olivia is also leading her theatre department in recycling used lights, using less paper, and employing more sustainable materials like Ecor for sets. The panel was extremely impressed by all that Olivia has accomplished.

The 2017 runner-up is Chloe Martins, Green Captain at Drew University in Madison, NJ. Chloe received a grant and built the university's first sustainable set. Their production of Hamlet focused on using sustainable materials, reusing set pieces and costumes, and encouraging the cast and crew to be greener in various ways including using reusable water bottles. As runner-up, Chloe received two tickets to Aladdin, as well as a backstage tour.

The prize was announced during one of the BGA's five green panels at USITT. USITT connects performing arts design and technology communities to ensure a vibrant dialog among practitioners, educators, and students. It includes members at all levels of their careers and has embraced the new technologies being used in entertainment. USITT is now the leader in life-long learning opportunities for the entertainment design and technology industry and proud to support vibrant dialog for sustainable design and production in live entertainment.

More information about the prize and the College Green Captain program can be found at BroadwayGreen.com.

The Broadway Green Alliance (BGA) educates, motivates, and inspires the entire theatre community and its patrons to implement environmentally friendlier practices. The BGA (formerly Broadway Goes Green) was launched in 2008 as an ad hoc committee of The Broadway League and has become a fiscal program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The BGA brings together all segments of the theatre community, including producers, Broadway and Off-Broadway theatres in New York and around the country, college drama programs, theatrical unions and their members, and related businesses. Working closely with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the BGA identifies and disseminates better practices for theatre professionals and reaches out to theatre fans throughout the country, and through alliances, internationally.

Pictured: Seth Stewart awarded the prize to Paul Brunner (Associate Professor, Faculty Technical Director, and Head of the Theatre Technology Program at Indiana University, Bloomington) on behalf of Olivia Ranseen.

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