Opera North used the CRISS Tool to deepen its connection with audiences on the issue of sustainability.
Opera North creates extraordinary experiences every day, using music and opera to entertain, engage, challenge and inspire. Sustainability is embedded throughout its productions and in 2023 Opera North used the CRISS Tool and put the planet centre-stage in its Autumn Green Season.
Dr Alexandra Dales delivered a CRISS workshop with Opera Norths’ Communications Team to explore how best to convey sustainability messages accurately and compellingly. It led to positive storytelling outcomes.
Connecting with Audiences
The workshop initiated conversations around tone of voice and how to talk to audiences about sustainability and what Opera North was trying to do in the Green Season’s marketing campaign. Opera North developed an approach which invited audiences to be part of the changes it was making. This culminated in the season trailer, the main tool for raising awareness of the Green Seson and Opera North’s sustainable activities.
Deeper Reflection:
By using the CRISS Tool, Opera North began to ask more critical questions about its practices and the broader impact of the creative industry on the environment. This reflective approach fostered a deeper understanding and commitment to sustainability within the organization.
Innovation Sharing:
The adoption of the CRISS Tool by Opera North created a ‘butterfly effect’ inspiring other national and international opera companies to explore similar strategies. The initiative also attracted interest from significant bodies such as the Climate Commissioners for Yorkshire and Humber.
Enhanced Communication Strategy:
The CRISS Tool led to a more robust and dynamic communication strategy, ensuring that sustainability messages were clear, accurate, and impactful.
Positive Organizational Change:
The CRISS Tool facilitated greater internal cohesion and critical thinking, empowering employees across different departments to engage in meaningful discussions about sustainability and their role in promoting it.
Opera North’s success with the CRISS Tool generated interest among other cultural and arts organizations. This widespread interest underscores the potential for the CRISS Tool to influence sustainability practices across the creative sector.
The CRISS Tool also created an opportunity for staff to reflect on Opera North’s values and vision around sustainability and what they had learnt through Green Season.
CRISS became part of the journey Opera North is making to engage employees, musicians, audiences, communities, and supporters in the environmental process, to reduce their environmental impact, achieve Opera North’s aim to be Carbon Neutral by 2030, and inspire wider change towards a more sustainable future.
The Green Season Trailer is the culmination of the CRISS – Opera North collaboration, showcasing the diverse actions Opera North has taken to reduce its climate impact and crucially, inviting its audiences to be part of it!, a key revelation in CRISS workshop discussions.
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