‘UK at the Half’: UK Theatre and Dance season highlights sustainability

Woman painting a theatre set piece on stage
Sustainability is the theme of UK Theatre and Dance's 2024-25 season. The goal is to reduce the amount of materials used to stage productions, including recycling set pieces from previous seasons. Carter Skaggs | UK Photo

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 1, 2024) — Theatrical productions can be incredible sources of waste. When one considers the amount of wood that goes into set construction, materials for costumes and even the paper on which the playbill is printed, the impact on limited resources is clear.

That’s why the University of Kentucky’s Department of Theatre and Dance is dedicating its 2024-25 season to reducing the impact of its productions on the environment and natural resources.

The “Season of Sustainability” marks the first time in its history that a UK Theatre and Dance season has carried a theme. On this edition of “UK at the Half,” Department Chair Susie Thiel tells us why this message is an important one to convey.

“We are highlighting shows that all have a message about the environment, as well as looking at how we can use our sets, props, costumes, lighting systems in a more sustainable way,” she said. “Examples of ways that a typical theater and dance production use include wooden sets, costumes, scripts, furniture, lighting, lighting, gels, cables, programs, batteries, sound equipment, and that’s just to name a few.”

“UK at the Half” airs during halftime of each UK football and basketball game broadcast on the radio and is hosted by UK Public Relations and Strategic Communications and UK Marketing and Brand Strategy. To hear the “UK at the Half” interview, click the play button above.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.