| Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain | |
| Location Country: | United Kingdom |
| Affiliation: | Central Council for Amateur Theatre, Voluntary Arts Network |
| Full Name: | Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain |
| Founded: | 18 May 1946 |
| Key People: | Sir Kenneth Branagh (Patron) Jo Matthews (Chair) Brian Stoner (Treasurer) |
| Website: | LittleTheatreGuild.org |
The Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain (LTG) is an Umbrella organisation promoting and supporting independent amateur theatre companies which have control over their own premises and produce drama of a high quality for the benefit of their communities. It has been credited with being pivotal in securing recognition for the theatrical contribution of little theatres in the United Kingdom.[1]
The Little Theatre Guild, was founded in 1946 to represent the views of Amateur theatres across the UK.[2] Its original membership was nine[3] with groups such as The Crescent Theatre, Highbury Little Theatre and The Questors taking a leading part in its foundation.[1] By 1988 this had increased to 30 and by 2010 to 103 theatre companies, some of which are outside the UK. The major restriction for membership is that it is open only to those amateur theatres that own or lease the theatre premises upon which productions are mounted.
Similar to the National Drama Festivals Association, the LTG organises festivals of amateur drama across the United Kingdom.[4]
The aims of the Guild are:
The Guild holds two National Conferences each year and is organised on a regional basis for the arrangement of additional conferences, seminars and training events.
The Guild is made up of 123 independent theatres (as of February 2023). These members are administered in four regions— Northern, Central, Southern and Overseas. The founding members of the guild included:
Some of these theatres have undergone name changes since they were formed and some have been dissolved.
Other notable members include: