The Living Stage set up in New York

As Australia aims to increase its green urban spaces by 20% by 2020, the University of Melbourne’s Dr Tanja Beer (pictured) is promoting their value across the globe.

Dr Beer’s PhD project, ‘The Living Stage’, is said to be the world’s first recyclable, biodegradable, biodiverse and edible performance space. Combining horticulture, theatrical design and community engagement, the project “transforms a green urban space into an accessible, equitable public social gathering place created by the community, for the community”, according to Dr Beer.

Since making its debut at the Castlemaine State Festival in 2013, The Living Stage concept has travelled to Cardiff (UK), Glasgow (UK) and Armidale (Australia), as well as being featured at the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space and the V & A Museum in London. Now Dr Beer is collaborating with New York eco-theatre company Superhero Clubhouse, human services organisation University Settlement and architecture firm XDEA to bring the project to the Big Apple.

Meltzer Garden in the Lower East Side will be the New York site of the Living Stage, in collaboration with the Tenants’ Association of Meltzer Center and University Settlement. It will be the first ecological performance space created in collaboration with resident seniors and local school children.

“Community-created spaces bridge intergenerational gaps and bring diverse groups together to build social connectedness and community resilience,” Dr Beer said. “As the urban sprawl continues, it is important that marginalised and displaced groups of people have access to green spaces that are not isolated from their communities.”

By activating the space as an outdoor performance stage that doubles as a community garden installation, it is hoped that Meltzer Garden will become an activity hub for art and outdoor recreation for years to come.

The idea to bring it to New York was borne out of a natural disaster: Hurricane Sandy, which thrust residents into uncertainty almost five years ago. As explained by Lanxing Fu, co-director at Superhero Clubhouse, “The Living Stage is a response to the need for increased community resilience across urban environments.”

“Over the past six months, the creative team — together with primary school students, seniors and nearby community gardens — have begun designing and growing a living stage,” Fu continued. “The senior residents of this public housing building felt isolated from their surrounding neighbours during Hurricane Sandy and they were thrust into uncertainty. The Living Stage is an opportunity for them to express and amplify their needs and dreams to their neighbourhood and connect on their own terms.

“We view theatre-making and performance as a participatory civic act, and we want to make lasting impacts on the equity and involvement of a community, neighbourhood and city. The Living Stage offers a way for people to practise empathy and critical thinking in the face of great adversity and imagine alternative futures.”

For Dr Beer, combining her experiences in sustainability and theatre has allowed her to embrace bigger ideas.

“My practice merges architecture, public art, theatre and performance design to increase community participation on environmental and social issues. It’s all about making sustainability fun, embracing people’s creativity and dissolving perceptions of powerlessness by giving voice to everyday people and their stories.”

The Living Stage Summer Festival will be held in New York City from 4–5 August. The festival features family-friendly activities including a live, original, intergenerational performance, music, gardening information sessions, and tours. There will also be opportunities to engage with local non-profits, businesses, gardeners, artists and community leaders. Admission is free.