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Programme Overview
Alexandra Palace, London · 3–4 June 2026
First Programme Release: May 2026
Day 1 Wednesday 3 June 2026
| Time | Preevue RoomSeminars | Clear-ComSilent Seminar Room | Harper TackleyWorkshop Room | BristowWorkshop Room | RB Health & Safety SolutionsWorkshop Room | Coffee ChatsStage | Careers Hub |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10am |
Lighting, Automation & Technical Theatre
Nikki Scott, CEO, Avolites
Stage Management, CV & Interview Prep, Training
Gill Allen, Freelance SM / ABTT
|
||||||
| 10.30am | |||||||
| 11am |
What’s Next for Health and Safety? Preparing for the Next Decade
National Theatre / RB Health & Safety Solutions / Royal Ballet & Opera / Birmingham Hippodrome
|
LEDs in the Spotlight: What You Need to Know But No One Tells You!
Robe UK Ltd
|
5 Ways to Fit a Radio Mic
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
|
Reactive Theatre: Harnessing Performer Tracking Technologies
Flamingo Software
|
Breakaway Training: Personal Safety for Theatre and Live Events Staff
RB Health & Safety Solutions
|
Ryan Metcalfe
in conversation with
Stuart Graham
|
Training & Technical Theatre Roles
Sebastian Barnes
Sound Design & Production Engineering
Helen Atkinson, Sound Designer / ALPD
|
| 11.30am | |||||||
| 12pm |
Martyn’s Law Update: What the New Act Means for Theatres and Venues
RB Health & Safety Solutions
|
Producing Theatre Sound: How Do the UK’s Most Iconic Theatres Design Their In-House Systems?
d&b audiotechnik
|
Ted Moore
in conversation with
Bryan Raven
|
General Management, Producing & Entry Level
Clare Annamalai, Co-CEO, Get Into Theatre
Getting Started, Sustainability & Inclusivity
Gemma Swallow, Freelance Production Manager
|
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| 12.30pm |
Introduction to Wig Making
ENO
|
All Change! Costume Support for Performance
Royal Ballet & Opera
|
MAC and RAPP Tools: Manual Handling Risk Assessment
Steeldeck / ABTT
★
|
||||
| 1pm |
SMA Stage Management Excellence Awards 2026
SMA
|
Future Proofing Your Seating: A Nod to the Past, an Eye to the Future
Audience Systems
|
Lighting, Staging & Production Management
Ben Stephen, General Manager, Steeldeck Rentals
Apprenticeships & Early Careers
Sarah Waterman, Apprenticeships Manager, RBO
|
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| 1.30pm | |||||||
| 2pm |
Technical Standards for Places of Entertainment — Updates for 2026
ABTT / The Fire Surgery / Arup
★
|
Continuing to Learn Beyond Education: Outcomes from the 2026 Make a Difference Conference
University of Greenwich / GSA / ABTT
★
|
Checking Electrical Safety
ABTT
★
|
Know Your Knots
ABTT
★
|
Introduction to ABTT Automation Training
RPS (Resolution Production Services)
★
|
Gary Pell
in conversation with
Gav Pell
|
Stage Management, Apprenticeships & Early Careers
Jayne Gould, Work Experience & Apprenticeships Officer, RBO
Routes In, Career Progression & CV Advice
David Ripley, Trainer & Consultant
Stage Management, CV & Interview Prep, Training
Gill Allen, Freelance SM / ABTT
|
| 2.30pm | |||||||
| 3pm |
Demystifying Apprenticeships
Chichester Festival Theatre / Royal Ballet & Opera / Nottingham Playhouse
|
Dealing with the Legacy: Upgrading Automation Systems
XM Automation
|
Gemma Swallow
in conversation with
Paul Handley
|
Sound & Video, Career Pathways
Jonathan Moss, Head of Sound & Video, Glyndebourne
Technical Theatre, Freelancing & Production Management
Gary Pell, Head of Stage, National Theatre
|
|||
| 3.30pm |
From DMX to Data: Networking in Modern Lighting Systems
ChamSys
|
An Introduction to Safe Manual Handling
ABTT
★
|
All Change! Costume Support for Performance
Royal Ballet & Opera
|
||||
| 4pm |
AI Won’t Replace You — But Someone Using AI Will
Preevue
|
Learning Light, Today, Yesterday and Tomorrow
ALPD
|
Lucy Edelstein
in conversation with
Katherine Herzog Parsons
|
Training & Technical Theatre Roles
Sebastian Barnes
Apprenticeships, Training & Stage Management
Sally Garner-Gibbons, Apprenticeships Manager, CFT
|
|||
| 4.30pm |
Know Your Knots
ABTT
★
|
||||||
| 5pm |
Under the Skin of sACN and Art-Net
Artistic Licence
|
Introduction to Wig Setting
ENO
|
Breakaway Training: Personal Safety for Theatre and Live Events Staff
RB Health & Safety Solutions
|
Lighting, Automation & Technical Theatre
Nikki Scott, CEO, Avolites
Sound
Rosie Stroud, Production Sound Engineer / ALPD
|
|||
| 5.30pm |
Day 2 Thursday 4 June 2026
| Time | Preevue RoomSeminars | Clear-ComSilent Seminar Room | Harper TackleyWorkshop Room | BristowWorkshop Room | RB Health & Safety SolutionsWorkshop Room | Coffee ChatsStage | Careers Hub |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9am |
Education Breakfast: Sustainable Suppliers
Theatre Green Book / Royal Ballet & Opera
Sponsored by AudioLogic
|
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| 9.30am | |||||||
| 10am |
Wigs, Hair & Make-Up, Costume
Anette Ollerearnshaw, Founder, ABTT WHAM
Early Careers, CV Support & Neurodiversity
Caitlin Crosby, Head of Technical, The Albany
|
||||||
| 10.15am |
Never Draw the Same Thing Twice: Reusable Content in AutoCAD
cad4theatre
|
||||||
| 10.30am | |||||||
| 11am |
Sustaining Physical and Mental Health Backstage
BAPAM / Backstage PASS / The Back Lounge / Hermes Health
★
|
‘Behind the Curtain’: Accessible and Inclusive Theatre Making
Craidd / Sherman Theatre / PMF
|
Introduction to Weft Making
ENO
|
Standby! How the RBO Stage Management Team Get a Show On
Royal Ballet & Opera
|
Skills of a Scenic Artist
Royal Ballet & Opera
|
Kat Ellis
in conversation with
Sam Garner-Gibbons
|
Training & Technical Theatre Roles
Sebastian Barnes
Early Careers, CV Support & Neurodiversity
Caitlin Crosby, Head of Technical, The Albany
|
| 11.30am | |||||||
| 12pm |
Production Technician Upskill Training: What Are Our Needs Today?
ABTT / Royal Central School of Speech & Drama
★
|
The Last Authentic Experience: Why Theatre Wins When Everything Is Automated
Preevue / Line-Up
|
Chris Boone
in conversation with
Liv Garner
|
General Management, Producing & Entry Level
Clare Annamalai, Co-CEO, Get Into Theatre
Apprenticeships, Training & Stage Management
Sally Garner-Gibbons, Apprenticeships Manager, CFT
|
|||
| 12.30pm |
5 Ways to Fit a Radio Mic
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
|
An Introduction to Afro Hair Styling: Curly and Textured Hair in Theatre
Royal Ballet & Opera
|
Emergency First Aid for Theatre Staff: CPR, Defibrillators and Catastrophic Bleeding
RB Health & Safety Solutions
|
||||
| 1pm |
Theatre Green Book: Practical Tools for Sustainable Theatre-Making in 2026
Theatre Green Book / Re-Source / TAZAAR
|
Audio System Design for Object-Based Mixing in the Performing Arts
L-Acoustics
|
Emma Wilson MBE
in conversation with
Anna Fox
|
Lighting, Staging & Production Management
Ben Stephen, General Manager, Steeldeck Rentals
Apprenticeships across all disciplines
Vicki Morris, Theatre & Venues Lead, Creative Alliance
Stage Management, Freelancing & Apprenticeships
Bendy Ashfield, Co-Director, Theatre People
|
|||
| 1.30pm | |||||||
| 2pm |
Launching the New ABTT Apprenticeship Network
Chichester Festival Theatre / Royal Ballet & Opera / RSC / Birmingham Hippodrome
★
|
Power Fundamentals: Don’t Lick It!
LSC Control Systems / Robe UK
|
Checking Electrical Safety
ABTT
★
|
Standby! How the RBO Stage Management Team Get a Show On
Royal Ballet & Opera
|
Skills of a Scenic Artist
Royal Ballet & Opera
|
Sound & Video Design, Accessibility & Technology
Dominic Bilkey, Head of Sound & Video, National Theatre
Leadership, H&S, Sustainability & Lighting
Emma Wilson MBE, Director of Technical, Production and Costume, RBO
|
|
| 2.30pm | |||||||
| 3pm |
Backstage Breakthroughs: How Innovation is Shaping the Future of Theatre
ABTT VIP / Theatrical Solutions / Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
|
Responsive Design in Wigs, Hair and Make-Up: Meeting the Needs of Every Performer
ABTT WHAM / Royal Ballet & Opera / Curls & Coils
|
Sara Beer
in conversation with
Michèle Taylor MBE
|
Training & Technical Theatre Roles
Sebastian Barnes
Freelancing, Training & Alternative Routes
Nick Young-Wolfe, Founder, MUTI Live
|
|||
| 3.30pm |
Safe Use of Steeldeck and Its Accessories
Steeldeck / ABTT
★
|
Venue Hire Made Simple
Prospero Labs
|
Drape Handling and Care
Drapemakers
|
||||
| 4pm |
Rethinking Theatre Design: Flexibility and Innovation in Modern Performance Spaces
Clark Door Ltd
|
Nick Young-Wolfe and Bendy Ashfield discuss how to future-proof your career
|
Producing, Directing & Getting into Theatre
Paul O’Leary, Production & Theatre Adviser
Routes In, Career Progression & CV Advice
David Ripley, Trainer & Consultant
Stage Management, CV & Interview Prep, Training
Gill Allen, Freelance SM / ABTT
|
||||
| 4.30pm | |||||||
| 5pm |
Also at the Show What else is on the show floor
Show Floor Challenge
Ask for details at registration and work your way around the floor. Submit your completed card at the ABTT stand to win a swag bag featuring contributions from every participating exhibitor, plus ABTT membership until January 2028.
Education Alley
All the higher education and training providers focused on theatre and live events — in one place on the show floor.
Careers & Professional Development Hub
Talk CV, career pathways, training and apprenticeships with industry specialists — all in one place.
Coffee Chats ★ New
Candid conversations with industry leaders on the Coffee Chats Stage.
Associations Area
Associations, unions and professional bodies here to support your career in theatre and live events.
ABTT Awards & Social
Join us on the Terrace from 6pm on Day 1 — sponsored by TAIT.
Also in the venue: Palace Suite (Robe Group) — workshops and demos throughout both days · KV2 Audio Roman Bar — live demonstrations all day, both days ·Propared Demo Room — one session per day; see programme for times
Seminars Workshops Coffee Chats Careers Hub ★ ABTT Session
Theatre Show Programme 2026
