design | stage Contribution Proposal
The Society of British Theatre Designers’ (SBTD) new national exhibition design | stage celebrates UK performance design made between 2023-27 and will take place in Coventry from 15 February – 7 March 2027. It will show the huge range of work made by approximately 150 UK professional set, costume, sound and lighting Designers, across theatre, musicals, opera, dance, community, theatre-in-education, events and spaces of all scales.
As well as entertainment and tourism, theatre and live performance are major contributors to UK regeneration, social provision, arts and technical education. design | stage is an opportunity to celebrate, record, and support the art, craft, design and technologies that underpin it. We hope that supporting and being involved with this major exhibition project will be of interest.
In partnership with Coventry University, we will present the exhibition in their beautiful Delia Derbyshire building in the dynamic city centre. We anticipate attendance of approximately 12,000 in person and at events online. We look forward to design | stage contributing to the diverse local and regional cultural life of the West Midlands whilst attracting national, and international audiences.
design | stage will increase the visibility of performance design, and articulate the vision, skills, technologies and contexts that make up this artform-in-industry through a wide-ranging exhibition, accompanying full-colour print catalogue and accessible programme of workshops, talks and events titled Making Unmaking Remaking. Visitors will experience model boxes, storyboards, technical drawings, full scale set pieces, costumes, puppets, props and the ways in which digital technologies are increasingly used in design and their realisation. The exhibition will feature immersive virtual reality experiences, alongside filmed interviews and performance moments.
Making Unmaking Remaking will include work with local schools, workshops for visiting education groups and symposia for Higher Education and Industry participation. Sustainability and eco-practice are central to design | stage, as are the inclusion and provision for disability, and the advances in digital technologies in live performance and design. Our range of collaborators, includes: The Production Managers Forum, V&A Theatre Collection, Association for Sound Design and Production, Association for Lighting and Production Designers, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the Belgrade Theatre and the National Theatre London.
design | stage will also mark SBTD’s 50th anniversary, celebrating five decades of the Society’s promotion and support of performance designers. It brings many luminaries of the profession, past and present, together and features a Legacy display of key productions, art work and interviews at The Belgrade Theatre.
We hope you will consider sponsoring design | stage, investing in, and supporting this landmark national exhibition, its high-quality publication and its ambitious education programme.
Your contribution will be:
- Recognised across a national and international audience
- Featured in our full colour, high-quality, print catalogue
- Acknowledged on SBTD’s website, in our social media and newsletter
- An invitation to participate in exhibition events that promote and increase connections between designers, industry, cultural organisations, institutions and the next generations of designers and performance makers.
While the exhibition is partially funded by designers, who prepare, bring and set up their own work, increased pressure on national arts funding means that additional support is needed to make a truly memorable event, bring new audiences together, and enable access to outstanding design. We would truly value your help to bring design | stageto its full potential, and share this celebration widely.
With best wishes,
SBTD Directors, and the design | stage team
Sponsorship, Acknowledgements and Placing For Theatre Industry Partners
Bronze Sponsor — £300
Showcase your organisation and connect with theatre professionals, designers, producers, and creatives attending the exhibition. Includes:
- Company logo displayed on exhibition signage.
- Credit in the printed and digital exhibition catalogue.
- Credit on the event website sponsor page.
- Opportunity to include promotional materials in visitor packs.
- Social media acknowledgement before the event.
- Logo placement on the SBTD website Sponsor page for 2 years from 2026.
Silver Sponsor — £500
Enhanced visibility and engagement opportunities for your organisation. Includes everything above, plus:
- Featured sponsor profile and listing in the exhibition catalogue.
- Featured sponsor listing in the exhibition catalogue, with the opportunity to contribute an article on one page.
- Opportunity to display a branded banner or pull-up stand, in addition to Company logo and listing on the Sponsors Board, in a prime exhibition location.
Gold Sponsor — £1,000
Maximum exposure and premium positioning for high-profile visibility and networking opportunities. Includes everything above, plus:
- Half-page Sponsor’s profile, article or information in the exhibition catalogue.
- Opportunity to contribute short welcome message or company profile on the design | stage website.
- Featured spotlight across event social media campaign and post-event thank-you communications.
Platinum Sponsor — £5,000
Maximum exposure for high-profile visibility and engagement.
Includes everything above plus:
- Full page Sponsor’s profile and Welcome in the exhibition catalogue.
- Prime placement of Welcome message or company profile on the design | stage website.
- Featured spotlight across event social media campaign and all live design | stage events and communications.
For more info contact Dana Pinto – Curator exhibitions@sbtd.org.uk
Lexa Kirity – design | stage Administrator designstage@sbtd.org.uk
