Artists have a critical role to play in fostering creativity and bringing communities together. At AOT we passionately believe in the importance of audiences and communities across Australia having access to live performing arts experiences, both locally made and touring productions, because we know they have a significant positive impact in communities at a cultural, social and economic level.

We also care deeply for the wellbeing of our people and our planet, and our planet is in climate crisis. Many artists and arts organisations urgently want to respond. AOT started the Green Touring Initiative in late 2020 with the aim of providing tools and strategies for the sector to reduce emissions in the making and touring of work, so that the positive impacts of touring activity at a community level don’t cost the planet. 

“As artists and art-makers, we have an incredible opportunity to be the innovators and the storytellers that lead on change.”

Current Initiatives

The Green Circle
In 2025, AOT partnered with Theatre Green Book Australia (TGBA) to deliver The Green Circle, a new initiative to support leading theatre and dance organisations to adopt environmentally sustainable practices. Facilitated by TGBA’s Dr 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.

The Green Circle

TGBA Online Series 2026
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 Series will step through each pillar and tool to give you a clear, hands-on approach to applying the book to your own work.

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

TGBA Online Series 2026

Past Initiatives and Resources

Greening Production-Making Series
The emissions output of a tour is to a large extent pre-determined by the decisions made at the beginning of the creative process. As part of AOT's 2025 partnership with Theatre Green Book Australia (TGBA), the two organisations presented four, free 60-minute online sessions in March and April that focused on greening production-making. To learn more about this initiative and to watch replays of the 2025 sessions, visit the Greening Production-Making Series page below:

Greening Production-Making Series

Green Touring Online Series
In 2024, we launched our new Green Touring Online Series: five, free 60-minute online sessions in May/June. Each session hosted two guest speakers and was followed by a Q&A. To learn more about this initiative and to watch replays of the 2024 sessions, visit the Green Touring Online Series page below:

green touring online series

Creative Adventures in Sustainable Touring
This paper was commissioned by Arts on Tour and authored by Pippa Bailey in late 2023. The purpose of the document is to stimulate conversation about what alternative, lower emission touring practices can look like, by featuring case studies of projects that have already taken place. 

Creative Adventures in Sustainable Touring
( 1.7 MB .pdf file )

The Green Touring Toolkit
As part of the Green Touring Initiative in 2020, we consulted with artists, creatives, arts managers and environmental sustainability experts to create The Green Touring Toolkit, a practical, step by step companion guide to greening the production and touring process. Click below to view the kit, along with Arup's emissions calculator 'Circulate', and a plethora of other green touring resources.

green touring toolkit

Top banner image: Mark Rogers