History

SETC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and dynamic membership organization serving a diverse constituency and reaching out across the United States and beyond.

The Southeastern Theatre Conference, Inc was organized in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in March 1949 and incorporated under the laws of the state of Florida in 1962. SETC's board of directors includes representatives from each of the ten-charter southeastern theatre state organizations and leadership from across the entire nation with members extending across the globe.

As of July 1, 2017, the Institute of Outdoor Theatre (established in 1963 with a mission to serve the historical outdoor drama movement in the United States) is under the management of the Southeastern Theatre Conference. With their respective service missions in the field of theatre, SETC and IOT have a long history of shared values that facilitated this merger under the SETC banner.

The SETC Archives are housed in the Jackson Library of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and may be used for research. The archives of the IOT pre-dating the merger will remain a part of the Special Collections Division of the East Carolina University Joyner Library.

SETC is one of the largest and broadest networks of theatre practitioners in the country, with reaches far beyond the borders of the southeastern region, which we call home. With more than 75 years of connecting our members to opportunities in theatre nationwide, SETC has had visionary executive directors, hundreds of servant leaders, and cultivated the careers of thousands of members. With southeastern roots, this nationally inspired organization continues to provide a place of belonging for a network of theatre practitioners shaping the future of our industry.