Inspiring headline speakers announced for Conference 22
Headline speakers and full programme details have been announced for Conference 22: Theatres Fit for the Future on 11 October at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith.
Conference 22: Theatres Fit for the Future focuses on creating a lively, engaging and dynamic gathering of professionals to collectively envision a more viable, sustainable, and inclusive future for the UK’s theatres, and the people who visit and work in them.
The keynote session will be led by Rob Hopkins, activist, writer and co-founder of the Transition movement, a radically hopeful and community-driven approach to creating societies independent of fossil fuel. Rob will talk about how the power of theatre specifically, and our imaginations more generally, can create the future we want. He will signal how working collectively at the grassroots and across the country, we can meet the challenges of our planetary emergencies, and not just survive but thrive.
A stellar panel of artistic and creative directors including Julie Ellen (Macrobert Arts Centre), Robert Hastie (Sheffield Theatres), Low Kee Hong (The Factory) and Rachel O’Riordan (Lyric Hammersmith), with chair Hannah-Azieb Pool (Bernie Grant Arts Centre) will reflect on the day’s themes of resilience, inclusion, sustainability and placemaking.
Across the day, there will be sessions focusing on how theatres are adapting their buildings and their business models, how theatres can be truly inclusive places and on theatres’ role in placemaking and Levelling Up. Building on last year’s conference and the Theatre Green Book, there will also be a session looking at how theatres can go even further on improving the sustainability of their buildings and productions.