Welcome to design | stage
Where design takes centre stage

5 Months to the Exhibitors Call-Out
One year to Opening

Being an Exhibition Curator for The Society of British Theatre Designers is both an honour and a responsibility that I take thoughtfully. At its heart, the role is about bringing our extraordinary membership of Set and Costume Designers into the limelight, while supporting your creativity, your talent and your impact on live performance. There is an inherent irony in creating a space where your spatial work can be seen, celebrated and remembered.

As we look ahead, there is a real sense of momentum building. Having secured our venue, the City Centre Cultural Gateway and Delia Derbyshire Building and a partnership with Coventry University last November, we made a second site visit in December with some members of the team, and this month we begin inviting industry associates to participate with some exciting ideas from The Productions Manager’s Forum and The Association of Sound Design and Production. In the meantime, as we develop cross-theatre industry opportunities and fundraising, we have a strong team forming from our membership, and an outstanding Programme of Events is being planned that will feature Talks to Workshops exploring topics such as Disability and Costume, Budget Versus Creativity, and AI in Theatre Design. We are also monitoring our progress on sustainability, inclusivity, accessibility, and outreach to wider audiences throughout this process.

This May, we will open the Exhibitors Call-out, inviting submissions that will shape SBTD’s 50th Anniversary landmark exhibition, planned for early spring 2027. Receiving your entries will be one of the most exciting parts of the process, as each submission offers a glimpse into your creative world, your thoughts, your craft, and your contribution to theatre-making. Together, they will create an incredible portrait of our membership designs spanning 2023-2027.

design | stage feels particularly meaningful. Fifty years of SBTD represent not just an organisational milestone, but decades of collaboration, creation and storytelling through design. The team and you, as Exhibitors, will help celebrate that legacy while shaping the future of theatre design and performance.

We are currently planning an introductory Zoom session to offer you the opportunity to learn more about the exhibition vision and the submission process. Watch this space for further details. I am very much looking forward to the conversations, the ideas, and the remarkable work that will begin to arrive between May and July 2026, as we collectively build towards this celebratory moment in SBTD’s history.

Welcome to a New Year, a New Chapter and a New Exhibition.

Dana Pinto

design | stage Curator