AOT will continue its partnership with Theatre Green Book Australia (TGBA) to present a free, four-part series in March 2026, diving into the brand-new Second Edition of the TGBA.

The Theatre Green Book Australia: Second Edition is an international framework that sets out common standards, tools, and guidance for making theatre productions, buildings and operations more sustainable. Updated for 2025, it brings together industry knowledge and practical pathways to help organisations embed environmental action across planning, design, and delivery. 

The Series will step through each pillar and tool to give you a clear, hands-on approach to applying the book to your own work. Across four sessions, we’ll unpack the principles, explore real examples and use simple templates to turn ideas into action. By the end of the series, participants will have a solid understanding of how to apply the book to their practice and a practical action plan to get started. You can read more about each session below.

Registrations for The Series will open in early 2026. Express your interest via the button below to stay in the loop.

Express your interest

The Sessions

SESSION 1: COUNTRY-CENTRED APPROACHES
This session explores how environmental sustainability practices can be strengthened through relational, place-based perspectives grounded in First Nations knowledge systems. Participants will consider ways to embed care for Country, reciprocity, and long-term stewardship into planning and creative processes.

SESSION 2: SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTIONS
This workshop introduces the Theatre Green Book Australia’s approach to reducing environmental impact across the full production cycle, from design to end-of-life. Participants will learn practical methods for lowering material use, energy demand, and waste while maintaining creative integrity.

SESSION 3: SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS
This session outlines how to assess and improve the environmental performance of theatre infrastructure using data-driven methods. Participants will explore strategies for optimising energy, water, and resource systems to support long-term transition planning.

SESSION 4: SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS
This session examines how organisational processes, governance, and procurement can integrate sustainability into everyday decision-making. Participants will learn how to implement low-carbon policies, track progress, and build a culture of accountability.

the green circle

The inspiration for this Series came from participants of The Green Circle, a joint initiative of AOT and TGBA in 2025, supporting leading performing arts organisations to adopt environmentally sustainable practices.

Facilitated by TGBA’s Grace Nye-Butler, the initiative has provided a support and knowledge framework to a Circle of companies including Sydney Dance Company, Bell Shakespeare, Griffin Theatre Company, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Belvoir Street Theatre, Performing Lines and Monkey Baa. 

Learn more about The Green Circle here.

About

Grace Nye-Butler Grace has a background as a Stage Manager and has recently completed her PhD with the School of Environmental Science at UNSW. She has implemented environmental sustainability plans for orgs including NIDA and Griffin. By understanding the intricacies of the professional theatre industry, and the science behind carbon emissions and sustainability, Grace combines her dual passion for theatre and science to support arts organisations to create and maintain greener practices.

Theatre Green Book Australia Since the UK’s Theatre Green Book, led by Paddy Dillon and Lisa Burger, came out in 2021, networks all over the world, encompassing all varieties of theatre, opera and dance, have joined this collective initiative. Over a dozen localised editions have since been launched in countries across the globe and the TGB is now considered a key resource to support the sector transition towards sustainable practices. As the industry globally engages in this transition, we need tools and a common language to support effective international collaboration whilst also being nuanced to the unique practices that exist within various regions. The Theatre Green Book Australia, founded by Grace Nye-Butler and Chris Mercer, utilises the global Theatre Green Book as a base to create a framework that speaks to the Australian theatre industry, whilst enabling practitioners to work within a common framework with colleagues across the world.