NEW YORK CITY: The Broadway Green Alliance (BGA) has chosen student Emory Otto of the University of Oklahoma as the winner of its annual College Green Captain Award, in recognition of achievement in sustainable theatre practices. Otto launched sustainable projects across various theatrical productions, created a sustainable toolkit and bulletin board for the university, and established a green representative role in the theatre department. This year’s award winner will receive two tickets to a Broadway production, in New York or on the road, and a virtual meet-and-greet with a professional Broadway “green captain.”
“Winning the BGA Green Captain Award is the acknowledgement that small actions can really make a difference,” Otto said in a statement. “It is not always easy to think outside of the box, but it sure is worth the venture. Try things, make mistakes, and find the things that work for you and your program, but most importantly do not be afraid to care. Winning this award is encouragement for my own School of Drama program to keep the conversation of sustainability going, committing (and recommitting and recommitting) to new sustainable goals, and being open to learning in the process.”
The College Green Captain program is designed to support students and faculty at the collegiate level who are passionate about implementing eco-friendly practices within their theatre departments. The BGA launched this award to recognize and honor students for their sustainable efforts. Captains are provided with resources and coaching from the BGA to assist them in producing and designing theatre in a way that reduces their environmental footprint.
Past recipients have led innovative, widely applied long-term greening practices at their campuses including energy-efficient lighting, rechargeable batteries, recycling, composting, digital scripts/scores, and more. This year’s runners-up are Samantha Burton at the University of Scranton as well as Juliette Maners and Bailey Poe at Rider University.
“We are delighted to recognize Emory Otto for her exemplary work as a College Green Captain,” said BGA director Molly Braverman in a statement. “Emory’s innovative and creative leadership are an inspiration to all of us working at the intersection of theatre and sustainability. We are thrilled that this award shines a spotlight on the entire College Green Captain program and the everyday activism occurring behind the scenes in college theatre departments across the country.”
There are currently 97 colleges and universities participating in the Green Captain Program, which extends beyond academic theatre and supports over 1,234 current and former Green Captains on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in touring productions, and regional theatres across the country.
Launched in 2008 as an ad hoc committee of the Broadway League, The Broadway Green Alliance is a fiscal program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The BGA seeks to educate, motivate, and inspire the entire theatre community and its patrons to implement environmentally friendlier practices.
