Powered by Ecotricity Business: Emma Rice Company – Putting sustainability centre stage

“Sustainability is completely tied into everything we do,” explains Steph Curtis, Head of Organisation. “We have our touring work, which comes with obvious challenges, and we have The Lucky Chance, which is our base. They’re different, but they’re also deeply connected.”

From the outset, the company has been clear about wanting to operate responsibly, while remaining focused on what matters most: making exceptional theatre.

“Our first priority was to electrify everything,” says Jay Jones, Head of Production. “We rewired the building completely, installed modern electric heating systems and made sure the venue could run entirely on electricity.”

That move opened the door to switching to a 100% green electricity supply with us, a simple but powerful step that immediately cut fossil fuels from day-to-day operations. From there, we supported the company in taking things further, introducing them to trusted partners to help deliver on-site renewable generation.

“With Ecotricity, it felt like a natural fit,” Jay says. “It was a well-timed connection. We were already thinking about solar, and suddenly everything aligned.”

The result was a solar installation on The Lucky Chance’s generous roof space, accompanied by battery storage, no small feat given the venue sits on the edge of a conservation area. Planning took time, but the outcome speaks for itself.

“On a good day, we can run the building entirely from solar and battery,” Jay explains. “Even in winter, when we draw from the grid, we know it’s green power because it’s coming from Ecotricity.”

For a small arts organisation, the benefits are both environmental and financial: cleaner energy, more predictable costs and a future-proofed building.

“Touring theatre isn’t inherently sustainable,” Steph says. “Everything is transient. Sets are built, moved, taken apart. And we’re not in control of the venues we visit.”

Rather than seeing that as an excuse, the Emma Rice Company has focused on what is within its control: waste, materials and how productions are designed from day one. Central to that approach is the Theatre Green Book, an industry framework that sets out clear, achievable standards for sustainable theatre-making.

“It’s brilliant because it’s so practical,” Steph explains. “It’s not about being perfect. It’s about making better decisions, earlier.”

The company now embeds sustainability at the very start of every production. Sets and costumes are designed for reuse, materials are drawn from an extensive in-house stock, and waste is drastically reduced.

“Our last production was at least 80% reused materials,” Steph says. “That’s a huge shift in how we work — and it’s creatively freeing, not restrictive.”

“We want everyone we work with to buy into the ethos,” Steph says.

This shared understanding is helping the organisation build momentum year on year, guided by Theatre Green Book benchmarks and Arts Council carbon reporting.

“We’re ambitious for a small company,” Jay says. “We want to show what’s possible without losing sight of who we are and what we do.”

For Steph, there’s also a growing sense of responsibility to share what they’ve learned.

“We have a platform,” she says. “And we want to use it to show that this is how organisations can work now.”

By choosing Ecotricity and committing to a deep green approach, the Emma Rice Company is helping to set a powerful example, proving that creativity, sustainability and financial sense can go hand in hand.