Die Leiden des jungen Werthers

After participating in the pilot project “Carbon Footprinting in Cultural Institutions” funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation and drafting a sustainability mission statement in 2021, the DNT and Staatskapelle Weimar plans to further intensify its sustainability efforts. The theatre will now produce the climate-neutral project “Werther” (working title), based on the novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and directed of Swaantje Lena Kleff.

Under the supervision of general theatre director Hasko Weber and in close collaboration with the director, set designer and all the departments in the theatre, the project offers an opportunity to jointly reflect on typical production processes and adjust them to meet climate-relevant demands. The primary focus will be on how materials are used in decorating the stage, whereby the challenge lies in making no compromises in terms of artistic excellence or professional craftsmanship. Before any material is used, the project organisers will assess its “circular economic” compatibility. By jointly sharing, recycling, repairing and lending various materials, the project will demonstrate how the life cycle of these can be prolonged. Furthermore, the DNT Weimar aims to digitalise its holdings and establish a Theatre Recycling Centre, so that other theatres, socio-cultural centres and workshops in the region can make use of these materials. Continuing education measures for the employees are planned to raise awareness of the sustainability aims at the DNT Weimar.