Training

The ABTT offers a wide range of practical Technical Courses each year. These are scheduled throughout the year in Glasgow, Manchester, Warwick and London. However, if these locations are not suited, we also run “in-venue” training courses at your preferred location. This can be in the UK or abroad as we have recently done "in venue" training in HongKong and Kuala Lumpar.

The week was extremely beneficial for my team. They learned a lot, and the teaching was both effective and directly applicable to all of our working practices. It was, I think, the best and most effective in-service training that I have been able to arrange for my staff, ever.
ABTT Bronze Award, "In-Venue" Training, 2018

Our Courses:

We run a variety of courses, these include:

Our Bronze Award which provides the basic skills required to progress as a Technician.
Our Silver Awards Course, sat upon completion of Bronze, where you can specialise your expertise in areas such as Sound, Lighting, Electrical and Stage roles.
Our Gold Course, to be sat upon completion of a Silver Award or equivalent experience, is specifically for those in or moving towards managerial roles in the Industry.
Our CPD Courses (Continuous Professional Development) which are practical one-day courses in a variety of subjects such as Manual Handling, PAT Testing, Flying, Pyrotechnics, Electrical Fundamentals etc. which run during the year but can often be requested “in venue”.
Online training for Theatre Professionals using AutoCAD.

We arrange courses throughout the year in various locations but actively recommend our members to get in touch to request a course to be run in their venue.

Request a course at your venue:

Many of our courses are available throughout the year in various locations in the UK, but these can also be run on-demand via peripatetic delivery. Courses may be delivered anywhere within the UK, or abroad and the ABTT would welcome interested theatres or organisations who wish to act as a host venues to get in contact. There may be some specialist requirements depending on which courses you are interested in. For example, for the Bronze Award, we would require the ability to fly scenery using hemp or counterweight.

If you are interested in finding out more, please contact us on training@abtt.org.uk with the following information:

The course you wish to run
Venue location
Number of candidates
Availability in your calendar

Course Discounts

In order to participate in ABTT Training Courses, you may wish to have ABTT Membership as you will be eligible for Membership Discounts, thus saving money. By joining the ABTT first before booking any training you will be able to save money whilst obtaining other membership benefits in the process.

For more information on joining the ABTT please see here:

Should you have any questions about any of the courses or membership then simply contact us on office@abtt.org.uk

Help with Funding

Here at the ABTT, we want to ensure that we can open our courses up to anyone who has an interest in Technical Theatre. As such, we have listed below some possible Funding bodies that may be able to assist with the cost of your course:

The Theatrical Guild
If you would like to develop your career by pursuing an ABTT Training course but are prevented from doing so by financial hardship please contact The Theatrical Guild to discuss eligibility for financial assistance. Tel: 020 7240 6062.

Backup- The Technical Entertainment Charity
Backup – The Technical Entertainment Charity – provides financial support to industry technical professionals who are seriously ill or who have suffered from an accident and need to re-train. If you are working in live events, theatre, TV and film and needs some support and help to get you back on your feet please get in touch: https://www.backuptech.uk

Grants are tailored to an individual’s needs and can include essential living costs, medical related expenses, advice, re-training and travel.They work with potential recipients to fully understand the support needed and ensure that help is targeted effectively.

If you would like to develop your career by pursuing an ABTT Training course but are prevented from doing so by financial hardship due to being seriously ill or suffering from an accident please contact Backup Charity to discuss eligibility for financial assistance. Tel: 01323 524138

Looking for a course?

The ABTT specialise in practical onsite training covering various topics.

Our courses are designed to ensure that the candidates develop both their practical skill set as well as understanding the regulations and health and safety requirements behind them.

Find out more about the courses we offer here!

Find out more