An Alliance of the Trades

On Tuesday 23rd June 2020 a meeting was convened between the Association of Lighting Designers (ALD), the Association of Sound Designers (ASD), Costume in Theatre Association (CITA), the Production Managers Forum (PMF), the Society of British Theatre Designers (SBTD)  Stage Directors UK (SDUK), the Stage Management Association (SMA) and the newly formed campaigning groups Scene-Change and Freelancers Make Theatre Work. Since then we have been joined by the Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT), Parents and Carers in Performing Arts (PIPA), Stage Sight and representatives from the Freelance Theatre Taskforce as well as those representing backstage disciplines who don’t have associations such as scenic construction, scenic painting, prop making and wigs, hair and make-up. Our aim is to bring together industry representatives as a collective voice to generate strong and purposeful cross industry communication and advocacy for COVID-19 recovery and beyond

This new Alliance of Associations and Professionals in Theatre & Live Events (AAPTLE), includes representatives who work in all aspects of the theatrical and events community made up of more than two hundred thousand creative and production practitioners including agents, automation programmers and technicians, choreographers and ballet staff, critics, composers, conductors, costume designers, costume makers, costume supervisors, dancers, draftspeople, dressers, fight directors, fly people, hat makers, hire companies, lighting designers, programmers and technicians, make-up artists, manufacturers, movement directors, musicians, musical directors, model makers, producers, production managers, props makers, props supervisors, puppet makers, riggers, scenic constructors and painters, sound designers and technicians, stage designers, stage directors, stage door keepers, stage and company management, stage technicians, theatrical tailors, technical managers, video designers, programmers and technicians, wardrobe managers, wigs hair and make-up supervisors, wig makers, writers and even a theatrical cobbler.

As a diverse collective of many creatively brilliant voices and minds galvanised as one, we can advocate much more confidently to ensure an inclusive, representative future for our professions. We want to act together as a focussed channel of communication for key management associations, engagers, producers, trade unions and anyone else concerned with the staging of live events to engage with the expertise of the practitioners who make the work. While our immediate concerns must be for effective and safe COVID-19 responses, we intend that this builds to a ‘new normal’ of professional practice in the 21st century.

At this time, the Alliance invites all those whose association or professional voice would represent technical and creative theatre and live events to join us.  We are meeting on a weekly basis.

For further information please email: contact@aaptle.uk

Website: https://aaptle.uk/