The Lyric Theatre is delighted to announce that it has been awarded funding through the National Lottery Community Fund's Sustainable Community Buildings Programme to upgrade the lighting in its Naughton Studio to energy-efficient LED alternatives.
The funding will support the replacement of existing non-LED theatre lights with modern moving LED fixtures — a significant step forward in the Lyric's ongoing commitment to reducing its environmental impact and operating more sustainably.
The Sustainable Community Buildings Programme supports voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations across Northern Ireland to reduce their carbon emissions and energy costs. As part of the programme, the Lyric completed Carbon Literacy training delivered by Business in the Community, and worked with sustainability experts Action Renewables to develop a bespoke Environment Plan for the building.
The Environment Plan identified that upgrading theatre lighting to LED technology could save approximately 17,500 kWh of electricity and over 5,000 kg of CO₂ annually — equivalent to meaningful reductions in both the theatre's carbon footprint and its energy bills. Submetering already installed at the Lyric has allowed the team to track the impact of previous lighting changes, with earlier LED upgrades demonstrating a clear reduction in daily energy use.
"Upgrading to LED technology is something we've been working towards, and this funding makes it possible. Not only will it reduce our energy use significantly, but modern LED moving lights also give us greater creative flexibility on stage. We're really grateful to the National Lottery Community Fund for supporting us in making this change."
— Adrian Mullan, Head of Production, The Lyric Theatre
As Northern Ireland's only full-time producing theatre, welcoming around 100,000 visitors each year, the Lyric is committed to ensuring its operations reflect its values, not just on stage, but in how it manages its building and resources for the benefit of the community and the environment.