The ABTT School Theatre Support Committee - formerly known as the School Theatre Support Group (STSG) - is a committee of the Association of British Theatre Technicians for professional backstage/technical theatre practitioners working in UK schools and colleges.

The STSG was founded in 2005 as a support and networking organisation for theatre technicians working in school theatres and classrooms. Over almost 20 years, we have provided this network to theatre practitioners in a teaching environment - along with many meetings, venue visits, training courses and a popular annual conference - focused on technical production, venue management and backstage education.

This includes our Performance Support Award – an extra-curricular backstage/technical activity scheme for young people – which was launched in 2015 and has been extremely successful within the STSG. (The Award is free as a PDF download to all interested parties from the ABTT website.)

We have built a strong membership base with technicians and managers from a wide range of independent schools, maintained schools and other institutions around the country, with all manner of facilities from professional theatres to drama classrooms. We are at the coalface of the next generation of theatre practitioners; encouraging our students' interest in theatre careers and facilitating the full range of performing arts within schools. We have also seen an increasing awareness and acceptance of the professionalism of school theatres from our industry contacts and peers.

The Group first became affiliated with the ABTT in June 2014. At a special meeting on 1 June 2024, it was proposed that STSG will become the ABTT School Theatre Support Committee (STSC). This was ratified by the ABTT Council on 11 July 2024. We see this change as a positive 'fresh start' for continuing with the STSG's aims and objectives, and protecting what we have achieved so far.

Read more about this announcement.

We are no longer accepting new members to STSG, but membership of the new committee will be available to any person who works in a recognised educational establishment or is keen to represent school theatres, including ABTT members who are currently working in an educational setting.

If you're not already an ABTT member, please join and select the 'STSG/C' tick box to register your interest (this will be updated soon).

Please bear with us during this transition period.

Member Portal - for existing STSG members (available until December).

Contact us: admin @ stsg.org.uk

STSG Conference, 1 June 2024.

Robin Townley (ex-CEO ABTT) with Paul Durose (ex-Chair/founder STSG). ABTT Theatre Show, 5 June 2024.