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Abstract: Sustainability today is the order of the day, as experts, practitioners, activists, academics amongst many others in diverse fields of the world are contributing to a sustainable future for the next generation. The increased global climate crisis urges practitioners and experts in all areas of life to take into consideration the kind of contribution their work brings to the climate system, as it is crucial that ecological consciousness guides our thinking while we go about our day-to-day activities. Theatre is not left out in the quest for a sustainable future as play-texts and stage performances advocate by engaging audience on climate action. Though the practice of ecological design is popular today in some parts of the world, many fields and practices in other parts of the world are yet to fully embrace ecological thinking into their practices. There are so many examples to be shared from specific fields and practices like theatrical design in the African spaces that have been rarely explored especially in the academic fields. It is important that specific practices, as they relate to different cultural and environmental factors, are also experienced on the global stage. The study seeks to propose alternative materials as against the popular exploitation of trees in Nigeria, due to the total dependents on woods and timbers for theatrical design and construction in Nigerian theatre and film practices by the exploration of eco-scenography practice in the staging of Ahmed Yerima’s Mojagbe, at the ABU Studio Theatre, Nigeria. The research proposes alternative mediums by experimenting with alternative materials; natural and environmentally friendly materials and approaches to reduce the ecological impact of theatrical and film productions in Nigeria.

 Abstract: This presentation explores incorporating sustainable practices and ecoscenography in my course design, highlighting the transformative potential of ecological thinking in theatre design education.. Using my class as a case study, I will examine how ecological principles can be embedded in the curriculum to foster a deeper understanding of sustainability among students. The class projects are designed to encourage students to consider the environmental impact of their design choices, promoting the use of sustainable materials, energy-efficient technologies, and innovative approaches to reduce waste. The introduction project challenges students to draw inspiration from artists of their choice and design a concert production. Through this project, students learn to balance aesthetic considerations with ecological responsibility, exploring using recycled materials, renewable energy sources, and low-impact construction techniques. Additionally, students use their designs to speak for environmental issues such as the California wildfires. These projects highlight the impact of climate change and environmental degradation. Aiming to collaborate with the Sustainability Institute at my institution, The Earth Day project further introduces eoscenography principles by creating a performance design that celebrates the campus community and reflects on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This project emphasizes the importance of storytelling in promoting ecological consciousness, encouraging students to think collaboratively about the role of theatre in advocating for sustainability and its impact on the community. By integrating these projects into the curriculum, I aim to cultivate a new generation of theatre artists who are not only skilled in their craft but also committed to sustainability. This presentation will demonstrate how ecological thinking can be seamlessly woven into the theatre design creative process, inspiring students to become advocates for a more sustainable future.
 

Abstract: Clothing has increasingly become a disposable commodity, driven by the fast fashion model, which perpetually releases new inventory and abandons traditional seasonal cycles. This approach prioritizes speed and low cost over quality, leading to mass production, overconsumption, and significant environmental harm. The clothing and textile industry has become the second-largest global polluter, contributing heavily to ecological degradation with harmful chemicals, unsustainable fibers, and the enormous amounts of textile waste it generates. In costume design, budget constraints and time pressures often push designers toward fast fashion solutions, turning to retailers like Amazon or large chain stores such as Target and Walmart for quick access to affordable items. While these options offer convenience, they also perpetuate the very cycle of fast fashion that damages the environment. This presentation explores the environmental consequences of fast fashion and its impact on sustainability, particularly within the realm of costume design. By analyzing the ecological toll of mass-produced clothing, we will investigate how these practices affect costume design choices, materials, and overall sustainability in the theatre industry. The aim is to highlight the urgent need for sustainable, eco-friendly approaches in costume design, advocating for a shift away from the harmful practices of fast fashion and toward an industry that values creativity, sustainability, and environmental responsibility. 

 Abstract: Theatre To Go (TTG), born during Thailand’s COVID-19 lockdowns, reimagines traditional theatre through digital innovation. Using Web AR, it transforms physical space into immersive virtual stages allowing artists to transcend time and geography. Audiences engage with performances not as passive viewers, but through interactive scenographic model boxes viewed via AR, activating personal spaces as stages. Post-PQ2023, TTG emerges not as a pandemic relic, but a catalyst for the performing arts—advocating for Thai artists and designers, connecting them globally, and protecting intellectual property in the creative economy. With Street Food Theatre, TTG expands sensory engagement beyond sight and sound that audiences can taste the story. It turns Bangkok’s alleys into aromatic, performative spaces where food carts become stages and performances are shaped by local flavors and communities. Art blends with everyday life, uniting strangers through songs, stories, and shared meals. Rooted in sustainability, the project responds to the climate crisis and urban change, reactivating heritage spaces through collaborative, inclusive storytelling. Sound design anchors these experiences, mapping memory into space, flavor into narrative, making performance a part of daily life and local culture. 

 Abstract: This flash talk shares my PhD work-in-progress, which explores how costume-centric performance can help us reimagine alternative design futures by engaging with more-than-human entities and relationships. The project focuses on the silk practices of the Jiangnan region of China and considers how sericulture, silkworms, and silk crafts carry forms of knowledge that challenge extractivist, colonial, and anthropocentric ideas of design. Drawing on Daoist cosmology, Qi philosophy, and aspects of post-humanist theory, I approach costume not as an ornamental surface or identity marker, but as part of a relational process of transformation, a site where body, material, and environment come together in acts of becoming. My research combines ethnographic study and practice-led methods, including silk cocoon construction, bamboo weaving, and projection experiments, explored through costume-centric performance. These methods help me consider how the work of silkworms, the care of female workers and artisans, and the rhythm of materials might encourage us to listen to, learn from, and think differently about performance design, as something ecological, slow, and attentive to relationships between human and more-than-human worlds. My project aims to honour the knowledge embedded in animals, materials, and labour within traditional silk practices, while contributing to wider conversations in performance design about how we might create with care and reciprocity. By weaving together non-Western cosmologies and silk-based heritage, this research opens new possibilities for ethical, creative, and materially engaged design practice.