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. 

Across March, we’ll step through the tools and KPIs of the book, with a practical focus on productions including early planning and pre‑production, through show runs and touring, to bump out and beyond. Each session will unpack key concepts while offering concrete examples, templates and tips you can apply whether you’re a freelancer, a company, a venue, or working without a permanent home base. 

By the end of the series, our aim is for you to have a clear, working understanding of the Theatre Green Book Australia Second Edition and how to use it to make your own practice more sustainable, collaborative and future‑focused.

All sessions will be Auslan interpreted.

The Sessions

SESSION 1: SHARED PATH FORWARD – A COUNTRY CENTRED APPROACH

In this first webinar, we’ll unpack the foundations of the Theatre Green Book Australia Second Edition, focusing on the Key Principles, Guidance, and Preliminary KPIs that sit across all three pillars. We’ll explore a Country Centred approach and how the performing arts can model a shift from human-centred thinking to one that recognises human and non-human kin as interdependent, equal and in relationship, rather than isolated parts. We’ll also look at both Western frameworks and Indigenous ways of knowing, and how, at the outset of each project, there is an opportunity to acknowledge and build relationships with the Custodians of the Country on which the work is created and presented.

Session 1 - Register

SESSION 2: SETTING THE STAGE - SUSTAINABLE PRE PRODUCTION
Pre‑production is where most of the work happens and where you can make the biggest impact on sustainability in your productions. This session introduces the key areas and KPIs 1–10 from the Productions pillar, focusing on how to embed sustainability from the first creative invitation through to design development and planning. We’ll stay mainly with the Productions lens, touching lightly on how Buildings and Operations settings can support what you’re trying to achieve in the room.

Session 2 - Register

SESSION 3: KEEPING IT GREEN - SHOW RUNS & TOURING 
This session focuses on what happens once your show is up, running, or on the road, drawing on KPIs 11–13 and 17 from the Productions pillar of the Theatre Green Book Australia Second Edition. We’ll look at how to tighten procedures, keep your systems running smoothly over a season, and make practical choices that reduce impact without adding stress. You’ll also get templates and tools for different departments and team members, so responsibility for running a sustainable show is shared rather than landing on one person.

Session 3 - Register

SESSION 4: CLOSING THE LOOP - BUMP OUT & BEYOND 
The end of a run is where you lock in (or lose) a lot of your sustainability gains. This session focuses on bump out and pack down through KPIs 12–16 in the Productions pillar, and explores simple, high‑impact wins across buildings and operations that are relevant whether you’re a freelancer, a hirer, or working without a permanent HQ. We’ll look at how to plan for a sustainable bump out, keep materials in circulation, and use the end of a show to learn, refine your approach, and move closer to a circular production process.

Session 4 - Register

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.

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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.