Support from Backstage Trust lights the way for Lyric Sustainability Project
We are thrilled to announce an award from Backstage Trust that will support the Lyric’s sustainability efforts and multi-year plan for futureproofing the theatre.
We are excited to announce an award from the Backstage Trust that will contribute towards a multi-year project which, when completed, will see a whole-building lighting upgrade. This much needed upgrade aims to reduce our energy usage and support our mission in being a sustainable theatre.
The Backstage Trust was established in 2012 and continues to focus on encouraging live art – mainly the performing arts and music – to flourish, particularly in an environment where government support and understanding of the difficulties facing the sector is limited. Backstage Trust continues to provide targeted funds for live projects, aspects of capital developments and essential renovations, and sometimes consultancy to provide strategic guidance, to a wide range of arts organisations.
Funding from Backstage Trust has been awarded to help develop more sustainable operations throughout the theatre, specifically contributing towards a building-wide lighting upgrade. It has become necessary to phase out the existing lighting in both theatre spaces – Main Stage and Naughton Studio – in addition to all the office and communal spaces in the building and replace them with LED to improve environmental sustainability and long-term energy savings. It has been calculated that an all-LED rig in the theatre spaces would see a reduction on energy usage of 50% to 70%.
While the project of a complete LED conversion is significant, the project has been managed in multiple phases. The first phase of the project completed early 2024 thanks to generous support from Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
The support from Backstage Trust has enabled us to begin work on phase 2 of this important multi-year project, ensuring our continued existence is sustainable and environmentally conscious. This upgrade also lays groundwork for elevated ambitions and impactful contributions to the cultural landscape.
We are so grateful to Backstage Trust for their generous support for Phase 2 of this project which on completion will include new lighting for the Naughton Studio; our space committed to producing new work and experimentation, supporting work from visiting companies and where we produce our young people’s work.