The Society has close links with many other organisations and societies engaged with research into various aspects of the theatre.

  1. Theatres Trust

    The Theatres Trust is the National Advisory Public Body for Theatres in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1976 by an Act of Parliament to “promote the better protection of theatres for the benefit of the nation”. The Trust has played a leading role in protecting theatre buildings for the duration of its history.

  2. Victoria and Albert Museum Theatre Collections

    The collections now at the Victoria and Albert Museum were founded in the 1920s when a private collector, Gabrielle Enthoven, donated her extensive collection of theatrical designs, memorabilia, books and photographs to the Museum. She continued to add to her collection and worked on it as a museum volunteer until her death in 1950. Since that period the collection has continued to grow and has provided a home for many other significant objects and archives.

    Between 1987 and 2007 some of this material was housed at the V&A’s branch museum in Covent Garden, the Theatre Museum. New galleries devoted to the performing arts opened at the V&A in South Kensington in 2009. Material not on display there is housed at the V&A’s premises in Kensington Olympia, where a reading room provides a way to access much of this stored material.

  3. The Theatre and Performance Research Association (TaPRA)

    The Theatre and Performance Research Association (TaPRA) held its first conference in 2004. It was formed by a group of senior academics in theatre and performance eager to promote the growth of research in the field by fostering a co-operative and collaborative ethos that would benefit postgraduate students, early career researchers and provide a platform for everyone interested in sharing the diverse discoveries of the discipline. Working in English and in the UK research environment, TaPRA welcomes international members. Beginning with only a handful of working groups, TaPRA currently has over 400 members in thirteen working groups that meet in early Autumn at our annual conference which is hosted at a different university each year. In addition, many working groups organise interim events, often in collaboration with other groups. TaPRA relies on the generosity of individuals who give their time as working group conveners and as members of the Executive Committee, the bodies through which decisions are made. Membership is individual, rather than institutional, and inclusive of independent scholars and practitioners, although the majority of members have HEI affiliation. TaPRA is always looking for new ways to encourage excellence in research and to that end currently awards prizes to recognises work at every career stage. TaPRA also works closely with SCUDD and other cognate organisations to respond to and guide government policy and funding in the field.

  4. Association of Performing Arts Collections (APAC)

    The Association of Performing Arts Collections (APAC) is the membership organisation for professionals, specialists, and other individuals working with or interested in performing arts heritage in the United Kingdom and Ireland. APAC offers meetings, visits, symposia, study days, an email forum, working groups, and collaborative projects. APAC advocates the widest possible engagement in performing arts heritage collections by the general public.

    APAC is the UK’s Subject Specialist Network for performing arts and has close links with SIBMAS, the international association for this sector.

  5. American Society for Theatre Research

    The American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR) is a U.S.-based professional organization that fosters scholarship on worldwide theatre and performance, both historical and contemporary. Members of the American Society for Theatre Research say the Society is a space to share scholarship and a home for networking within the profession. ASTR also sponsors or coordinates several awards, grants, fellowships, and prizes to support and recognize outstanding scholarship in theatre and performance studies.

  6. International Federation for Theatre Research (IFTR)

    The International Federation for Theatre Research (IFTR) exists to facilitate communication and exchange between scholars of theatre and performance research throughout the world through its conference events and publishing activities. Founded in 1957, the Federation currently boasts members from 44 countries and from all continents. It holds annual international conferences, regional conferences, and research working group symposia. It owns a leading international journal (Theatre Research International) and publishes two major book series in collaboration with Palgrave Macmillan and Rodopi.

  7. Society for Dance Research

    The Society for Dance Research offers stimulating events, conferences, workshops and publications.

    Since 1982 we have been working to foster and promote the quality and scope of dance scholarship in the UK and to provide an international forum for diverse dance interests covering a broad range of dance forms and dance-related issues.

  8. The Irving Society

    The Irving Society was established in 1996 to bring together individuals and organisations interested in promoting appreciation of British theatre in the age of the actor-manager Sir Henry Irving, and of his cultural and artistic contribution to the Victorian Era.

  9. The Frank Matcham Society

    The Frank Matcham Society was set up following the centenary of the Wakefield Theatre Royal in 1994.  Our members come from all over the U.K. and abroad.

    Frank Matcham was responsible for designing over 100 theatres. No two buildings were ever the same, but he developed a very personal style, with astonishing theatrical flair. Although many were demolished during the 1950s and 1960s, the survivors are now much admired and many have been refurbished with the most modern technical and audience facilities, while retaining beautiful period details such as painted ceilings and decorative plaster work.

     

  10. ABTT

    The Association of British Theatre Technicians is a charity and membership organisation which campaigns on behalf of the theatre industry to ensure legislation is appropriate to the industry’s needs. We provide technical advice, consultations, training and are a vital resource to those working in the technical theatre industry.