With just over one month to go until our annual conference, we are getting very excited about welcoming you all to Shrewsbury, here’s a bit more information about what to expect from this years conference.
Artist Announcements
We have been busy putting together a brilliant line up of artists who will be performing, presenting, speaking or ballyhoo-ing at the conference. The artists announced so far are:
aKa Dance Theatre with A Real Fiction
This 360-degree slapstick solo will serve you explosive dance, laugh out loud lip syncs and a crazy collection of characters. It’s a hyperactive mix of dance, theatre, meme and pop culture for people of all ages. You can expect the unexpected as you lose yourself in memories, laugh, sing, dance, wahoo and laugh some more.
N’famady Kouyaté
A young master musician from Guinea (Conakry), now based in Wales. N’famady’s primary instrument is the balafon – a traditional wooden xylophone, sacred to West African culture. N’famady plays both as a solo artist and with a full band line up – where his arrangements are a fusion of Mandingue African and western European jazz, pop, indie and funk influences provided by an ever-evolving collective of musicians.
Russell Lucas
Russell comes from a working-class background and has forged a long career in the arts without funding, an agent, or a degree.
As a champion for independent theatremakers, he will share the practical toolkit he uses to get theatre projects off the ground. Using some of the ideologies from his new book, 300 Thoughts for Theatremakers published by Nick Hern Books, he will show how he made the show and how he tours it around and how the RTN can further engage with artists, thus enriching the network.
Russell will also be performing extracts from his show ‘The Bobby Kennedy Experience’, you can see him on Wednesday at the Conference.
Access
We want to ensure that everyone is able to attend and make the most of the event. That’s why we’re offering a range of services and support to meet your access needs.
We plan to have an open and relaxed atmosphere throughout the event, if you need to stand up, move around, or leave the room, that is welcome and okay!
We are also working to make chill out spaces available throughout the conference, and we have built in breaks and self led time where you can go at your own pace.
Once you have bought your conference ticket, you will be able to access our app where you can create a profile and meet other attendees before you even arrive.
If you are attending the conference on your own and aren’t sure where to stay and who will be there, our Board Members will be staying at the Shrewsbury Hotel and will be happy to buddy up with you.
We understand that everyone has different requirements and we want to make sure that our conference can be enjoyed by all. If you have any concerns or any specific requirements that you would like to discuss with us, please contact Jess on project@nrtf.org.uk or message us on social media if you prefer.
Hours: 28 hours per week / 3.5 days a week / Flexible working hours
Holiday: 19.6 days holiday. Paid holiday not available with a freelance contract
Contract: PAYE or Freelance 2.5-year contract with the possibility of extending
Salary/fee: £26,000 pro-rata
Notice Period: 6 weeks from both sides
Based at: NRTF has no fixed office. Candidate to work remotely with space and means to work Some travel will be necessary
Probationary Period: Three months extending to 6 months if necessary
Identity checks: Confirmation of the right to work in the UK and a Disclosures and Barring Service check
Job Description
Sector Champion: whole sector with a focus on Dance Artists
Goal Champion: Training and Advocacy
Aim of Role: This is a dual-faceted role to support Marketing for NRTF and the Rural Touring Dance Initiative. The aim is to advocate for the NRTF and the rural touring sector by managing online visibility and generating content, interest, and connectivity. To develop and nurture the Marketing outputs and materials of the RTDI Project Dance companies alongside the day-to-day marketing of the RTDI project.
Outline: Marketing, audience development and leading workshops/ sessions, online marketing, website, newsletters, content capture, news updates, analytics, admin support.
Details: Manage content, rhetoric and communications online, using social media, the website and newsletters. The role is responsible for developing and implementing a social media strategy to increase sector and membership awareness, improve marketing efforts, and engage with current and potential partners and sector members. The second part of the role is to be responsible for the day-to-day marketing of a national project the Rural Touring Dance Initiative. Providing one-on-one advice and working to help Artists reach their full potential. This role requires strong knowledge of the different social media platforms, excellent communication skills, and the ability to analyse and present data. The ideal candidate will have a track record of success in the marketing field, as well as a passion for helping others grow professionally.
Summary
This job is a great opportunity to contribute to the work of the National Rural Touring Forum. NRTF works with partners across the UK to develop and deliver high-quality artistic work and cultural experiences. We aim to reach more people with high-quality art and cultural experiences – strengthening rural communities.
NRTF believes that every village has the potential to become a cultural centre and therefore of interest and value to major funders and policymakers. These include the Arts Council England (ACE), Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and other government, arts and culture sector organisations.
NRTF is looking for an experienced and motivated individual who aligns with its values to join a small but ambitious team. The role is to support and facilitate the delivery of the organisation’s core objectives and responsibilities to its members.
Applicants will need to be efficient with their time, organised in their approach and flexible to changing demands. Experience in marketing, communications, and admin support is essential. While the role requires you to work remotely, you’ll need to demonstrate excellent communication skills and an ability to work closely with the team and board as well as the organisation’s diverse community of partners and members.
Key Responsibilities
Rural Touring Dance Initiative:
Provide one-on-one marketing advice to creative professionals. Supporting RTDI artists to develop rural tour-ready marketing materials, including print, images, copy & trailers
Monitor and evaluate the impact of programming initiatives alongside contracted project evaluators
Foster an active community by engaging with partners, members, and audiences in forums or social media
Liaise with The Place’s marketing team and the RTDI producer to develop the national menu for dance
Supporting the RTDI coordinators with the delivery of the Dance Lab
Work closely with selected venues to develop and implement audience development plans for shows, providing additional marketing capacity to venues & schemes when requested by the RTDI producer
To lead educational workshops and seminars on rural marketing topics
Ensure all marketing associated with RTDI meets accessibility and inclusion standards
NRTF Digital
Populate social media, coordinating blogs & member updates, respond to comments and messages
Communicate with members, partners, the board, event delegates, guest directors, venues, promoters, artists and funders at all levels in person and online
Develop a comprehensive social media strategy to increase brand awareness and customer engagement
Create content for our organisation’s various social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.)
Monitor conversations on social media platforms and respond to customer inquiries. Share and repost mentions, funder and member posts
Collaborate with the team to ensure marketing consistency
Relevant website updating
Stay up-to-date with the latest social media best practices and technologies
Report on the campaigns year round including the conference and other events
To share RTDI project, partner, sector and membership news
Some administration support for the team including general email inquiries when needed
Person Specification
Essential Skills and Experience:
Minimum of 2 years experience in a related field
Demonstrated success in developing and executing successful social media strategies
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Understanding and confidence in updating websites and CMS systems
Good Knowledge of creating campaigns on Mail chimp and mass emailing systems
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
Flexibility and willingness to learn new skills
Proven ability to manage your time, prioritise tasks, and use your initiative
Confidence in delivering marketing advice and tasks to artists
Proven expertise in various aspects of marketing (digital/social media, SEO/SEM, analytics)
Proven track record of successful mentoring relationships
Desirable Skills and Experience:
Knowledge & experience in making, producing, and/or touring dance
Knowledge & experience in rural touring
Experience in delivering effective audience development strategies
Experience in supporting artists to make & tour their work and skills development
RTDI – Rural Touring Dance Initiative
The Rural Touring Dance Initiative (RTDI) is a national project which supports dance artists & rural promoters to make great dance performance events happen in rural spaces. RTDI was launched in 2015 when The Place, National Rural Touring Forum (NRTF), China Plate and Take Art joined forces to address the lack of quality dance in rural spaces. From the start, RTDI has introduced some of the UK’s leading dance companies to rural touring including Lost Dog, Luca Silvestrini’s Protein, Uchenna Dance, Scottish Dance Theatre, Mr & Mrs Clark, Jo Fong and George Orange, and Joshua ‘Vendetta’ Nash. In July 2022, the current RTDI partners (The Place, Highlights, NRTF, Sonia Sabri Company, Take Art) were awarded £400,000 from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and £450,000 from Arts Council England to continue the project from 2023 – 2026. As well as supporting 10 new associate venues to programme dance in rural areas and market towns, many of them in Levelling Up for Culture places, the funding will enable RTDI to support eight dance artists & companies per year to tour their work to rural areas, with over 200 performances and 90 workshops expected between autumn 2023 and summer 2026.
rural touring dance initiative logo in blue text
Equal Opportunities Employer Statement
NRTF is an equal opportunities employer committed to equality, diversity, anti-racism, and anti-ableism and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Equal opportunities mean that everyone should have an equal chance to apply and be selected for posts and to be trained or promoted equally and fairly. NRTF will only judge performance on the grounds of ability, experience, or potential. All employment decisions will be taken on an individual’s ability to undertake the role in question. If you would like to discuss access needs for the application form or the interview, please contact holly@nrtf.org.uk To enable us to monitor the success of our EDI policy and inclusivity aims, each applicant, employee, volunteer, partner, and contractor will be asked to fill out an Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form.
Application Information & Support
To apply please send either:
A cover letter (no more than one side of A4) or
A short audio or film (no more than 3 minutes long)
Articulating why you are applying for this job with the NRTF, briefly outline your skills and experiences that make you qualified for the role and an example of where you have proven that you are ambitious
For an audio version of this application – on request
For a downloadable Microsoft Word version click here
Queries:
We are happy to answer your queries and provide additional support and proposals for sending your application in alternative ways, please email your questions and requests here: admin@nrtf.org.uk
Aim of Role: Short-term contract to support the delivery of the 2023 NRTF conference.
Outline: Main point of contact for delegates, venues, technicians, artists and participants at the conference. Responsible for the smooth running of this event.
Details: With a particular focus on the artist’s showcase and speakers, this role will support the Project Manager and the rest of the NRTF team to manage the logistics of the 2023 NRTF Conference and ensure its success.
Position reports to: Project Manager
Hours: 13 days (4 for conference, 9 days pre-event).
Location: Home working except for during conference 26 – 29 June Conference dates 27-29 June 23 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire Flexible working hours.4 days at the conference. 1 day is needed for washup. Travel will be required. Some evenings
Salary/Fee: Freelance £130 per day
Expenses: Accommodation is provided during the conference plus travel, in line with the expenses policy
Holiday: Not available with this contract
Identity Checks: Confirmation of the right to work in UK
Notice Period: 2 weeks from both parties
Job Summary
This job is a great opportunity to contribute to the work of the National Rural Touring Forum. NRTF works with partners across the UK to develop and deliver high-quality artistic work and cultural experiences. We aim to reach more people with high-quality art and cultural experiences – strengthening rural communities.
NRTF believes that every village has the potential to become a cultural centre and therefore of interest and value to major funders and policymakers. These include the Arts Council England (ACE), Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and other government, arts and culture sector organisations.
NRTF is looking for an experienced and motivated individual who aligns with its values to join a small but ambitious team. The role is to support and facilitate the delivery of the organisation’s core objectives and responsibilities to its members.
Applicants will need to be efficient with their time, organised in their approach and flexible to changing demands. Experience in marketing, communications, and admin support is essential. While the role requires you to work remotely, you’ll need to demonstrate excellent communication skills and an ability to work closely with the team and board as well as the organisation’s diverse community of partners and members.
Key Responsibilities
Prior to the conference:
Dealing with artist, and delegate queries in the run-up to the event
Supporting the Project Manager with logistics, operations and delivery of the conference
Supporting the Communications Manager to collect/collate and confirm delegate details
Ensuring all artists/participants provide programme content, signed contracts, invoices
Liaise with all artists/participants prior to the conference to determine additional support needs, transport, storage, set-up, accommodation, and dietary requirements
Liaise with the venues and technicians regarding tech requirements for all participants to ensure adequate provision is in place. Includes hiring kit in line with budget
Support the Project Manager to confirm all catering requirements
Support the Project Manager to complete risk assessments and licenses
During the conference:
Responsible for sign-in of all delegates and participants on arrival.
Ensuring the health and safety of all staff, delegates and participants during the event
Managing the smooth running of the conference programme throughout
Ensuring catering is delivered on time and with any additional dietary requirements met
Helping with the get-in and get-out of artists and speakers for each venue
Main contact and support for participants and delegates during the event
Post Conference:
Supporting the team to do a full review and feedback after the event
Person Specification
Essential Skills and Experience:
Experience in delivering events including technical requirements
Knowledge of managing artists, and speakers in a conference environment
Excellent organisational and coordination skills
Outstanding communication and negotiation skills
Confidence in representing NRTF and speaking to delegates, artists and speakers
Understanding of key performance indicators in events management
Excellent multitasking and task prioritisation skills
Experience in writing risk assessments and event safety
Understanding of working with venues for get-ins, get-outs and tech hire
Desirable Skills and Experience:
Knowledge and experience working in the Rural Touring sector
Knowledge & experience in making, producing and/or touring work
Proficiency in project management tools
Equal Opportunities Employer Statement
NRTF is an equal opportunities employer committed to equality, diversity, anti-racism, and anti-ableism and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Equal opportunities mean that everyone should have an equal chance to apply and be selected for posts and to be trained or promoted equally and fairly. NRTF will only judge performance on the grounds of ability, experience, or potential. All employment decisions will be taken on an individual’s ability to undertake the role in question. If you would like to discuss access needs for the application form or the interview, please contact holly@nrtf.org.uk To enable us to monitor the success of our EDI policy and inclusivity aims, each applicant, employee, volunteer, partner, and the contractor will be asked to fill out an Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form.
Application Information & Support
To apply please send either:
A cover letter (no more than one side of A4) or
A short audio or film (no more than 3 minutes long)
Articulating why you are applying for this job with the NRTF, briefly outline your skills and experiences that make you qualified for the role and an example of where you have proven that you are ambitious
For an audio version of this application – on request
For a downloadable Microsoft Word version click here
Queries:
We are happy to answer your queries, and provide additional support and proposals for sending your application in alternative ways, please email your questions and requests here: admin@nrtf.org.uk
This year’s conference is all about the opportunity to unite, to celebrate partnerships and collaboration, and in working together as a whole, we can ensure equal creative opportunities to the rural communities we work with.
Riverbank Kitchen, Shrewsbury. Illustration by Emily O’Shea
Join us in the beautiful market town of Shrewsbury for this year’s 3-day Rural Touring Sector Conference Tuesday 27th to Thursday 29th June. Everyone is welcome.
More to be revealed in good time. Be sure to book your ticket and find yourself somewhere to stay.
On this page you will find more information and links for the following:
This year your accommodation is not included in your ticket.
Shrewsbury is a beautiful old market town, and there are lots of options available depending on your group size and budget, we thought it would be easier for everyone for you to choose what you prefer.
We have compiled a list of some great places for you to book, which you can download and look at here:
Sabrina Boat Tours, Shrewsbury. Illustration by Emily O’Shea
This year we have an exciting new event app by Eventee where you can connect with everyone else attending the conference, as well as check the programme and event locations throughout your stay.
When you buy your tickets we will send you a confirmation email and a separate invitation to join the app, so look out for an email from Eventee. We encourage you to sign up, create a profile and start to enjoy the conference before it even begins.
We want to ensure that everyone is able to attend and make the most of the event. That’s why we’re offering a range of services and support to meet your access needs.
We plan to have an open and relaxed atmosphere, and chill out spaces will be available. We understand that everyone has different requirements and we want to make sure that our conference can be enjoyed by all.
If you have any concerns or any specific requirements that you would like to discuss with us, please contact Jess on project@nrtf.org.uk or message us on social media if you prefer.
Artist Conference Bursaries
The Butter Market, Shrewsbury. Illustration by Emily O’Shea
The artist conference bursaries are about supporting NRTF member artists to attend all 3 days of the conference. Those who qualify will receive a free conference ticket worth £260 and £50 towards their travel or accommodation.
To find out more and how to apply for an Artist Conference Bursary, please take a look at the full callout by choosing one of the options below, if you would like the callout in a different format, please contact Hattie on admin@nrtf.org.uk
We are delighted to announce this year’s conference bursaries for schemes. Schemes are invited to apply to qualify for a 50% discount on the cost of one conference ticket and £50 towards travel and accommodation costs.
We encourage schemes to think about using the bursary to invite new members of their teams, or perhaps a venue promoter, a representative from a partner organisation or an associate artist or performer. Preference will be given to those bringing more than one person.
Applause are delighted to launch a new menu for Autumn 2023 onwards.
Featuring the best in indoors touring, from theatre with the excellent Gonzo Moose returning with new show Death Who’s Coming To Dinner; music from performers such as Filkin’s Drift, one of the UK’s fastest rising folk groups; family theatre from award-winning Fideri Fidera with Will Tell and The Big Bad Baron; Kathak dance and music in a contemporary context from Sonia Sabri with Roshni, and puppetry from Monstro Theatre with King of Nothing inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s classic The Emperor’s New Clothes, plus much much more.
These shows are perfect for village halls or to add that little something extra to local community venue/spaces, this menu has something for everyone. Take a look at the full menu to view the carefully hand-picked shows. To enquire about booking one of these fantastic indoor performances contact touring@applause.org.uk or call 01892 457635.
Join us on 28th March at 2pm on Zoom for What Next? Rural, focusing on:
Equity & Equality in the Rural Touring Sector
An opportunity to discuss how access and diversity help us to create a more equal rural touring sector.
What do we understand ‘equity’ & ‘equality’ to mean? How does it relate to the work we do in the rural touring sector.
Hannah Prior theatre maker, arts leader and co-founder of participatory theatre organisation Ignition CIC is an advocate and champion for equity of access, enabling better creative opportunities for disabled people. Hannah will be introducing us to the Open Access Training she runs, focusing on the key areas of the Social Model of Disability and facilitating a discussion that will include practical tools and tangible examples.
Following this is an introduction to the team at Black Country Touring who will share what they set out to do in diversifying their team, what they achieved, what they learnt and what it has inspired them to do going forward.
This session is open to members and non members of NRTF, so if you would like to join us but you aren’t a member and you aren’t signed up to our mailing list, please register your interest by completing this google form.
A Zoom link will be sent out on 27th March, to everyone on our mailing list, and those who have completed the sign up form.
If you would like to become a Member of NRTF, you can do this at anytime here.
In our most recent mailout we accidentally said that BCT were looking for a General Manager – apologies this should have said they are hiring an Admin and Projects Assistant. Please see below for all the (correct) info:
Admin & Projects Assistant Full time, permanent role: £21,853
We’re looking for a capable, efficient and enthusiastic Admin & Projects Assistant to join us at Black Country Touring, to support our administrative and operational functions. This role is key to enabling the organisation to deliver high-quality theatre, dance and film events and productions across the Black Country.
The Admin & Projects Assistant will be responsible for supporting the Promoter Manager in efficiently maintaining our databases of show bookings, contracts and audience feedback. They will provide administrative and logistical support to BCT’s acclaimed and unique touring scheme and theatre productions. The ideal candidate will be flexible and versatile as they will also work across the whole team, providing support in a wide range of projects and productions where required.
We actively encourage applications from people who are currently underrepresented in the cultural sector and are representative of the diverse communities of the Black Country, including people from ethnically diverse backgrounds and people who identify as (d)Deaf, Disabled, neurodiverse and/or LGBTQ+. We guarantee an interview to anyone who identifies as one or more of the above, who meets the skills and experience criteria in the job description.
This is a permanent contract based on a commitment of 5 days per week and is subject to a six-month probationary period.
Position: Admin & Projects Assistant Contract: Permanent, 37.5 hours per week (5 days, with a flexible approach) Salary: £21,853 Pension: Employer contribution of 3% of salary Holiday: 25 days per annum, plus statutory public holidays and your birthday Probation: 6 months Start Date: April/May 2023 (depending on notice period) Location: Black Country Touring, Thimblemill Library, Thimblemill Road, Smethwick, B67 5RJ
Application deadline: Friday 17th March 2023 Interviews: Thursday 30th March 2023
From April this year (2023) we will be sending out quarterly email newsletters to anyone who wants to sign up for them! This will be very much like our usual Member newsletter, with NRTF updates, Rural News and National Opportunities, but even if you aren’t an NRTF member yet, you can still sign up for it by filling in your details on this google form.
This will run alongside our quarterly What’s Next? Rural online meetings, which are also open to non-members, more details about those can be found here.
If you would like to become a Member of NRTF, you can do this at anytime here.
Village Halls Week 2023 starts today, and runs until this Sunday 29th January. Together with ACRE we are celebrating the many ways these volunteer-run rural community buildings support local residents, groups and businesses, particularly during difficult times.
To help raise awareness of the brilliant work that Village Halls do, and the amazing art they bring to their communities, every year ACRE hold #VillageHallsWeek at the end of January and as they are so important to Rural Touring, we think it’s vital that we show our support.
This year we are asking you to send us a 15-20 second video clip sharing your favourite moments from visiting or performing in a Village Hall, or telling us about how they have impacted you.
You can send your clips to us in advance via wetransfer.com or tag us in them on social media this week. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter andInstagram, and make sure to include #VillageHallsWeek and @ACRE_national in your tweets.
We can’t wait to see what you have to share. For full details about the event, you can read ACRE’s press release here
Pentabus’ Autumn 2022 tour ofLittle Bits of Ruined Beauty by Tom Wentworth was designed to offer our audiences a fully accessible production. Creative captions were integrated into its design, pre-show navigation of the space and touch tours were offered to blind, visually impaired and neurodivergent audiences and audio description was available on the Pentabus website to help set the scene for audiences before their visit.
If you would like to learn more about the process of creating accessible theatre please join us for one, or both, online discussions.
Join the creative team behind Little Bits of Ruined Beauty to discover what was involved in creating this accessible production and the practicalities of touring accessible theatre to rural venues. Following the discussion there will be an opportunity to ask questions.
Panellists include:
Nickie Miles-Wildin – Director Joseph Brown – Actor Ben Glover – Video Design and Captions Steph Hinton – Village Hall promoter
Facilitator: Alexandra Whiteley
Directing Accessible Theatre
Date: Thursday 26 January
Time: 7pm – 8.30pm
Where: Online via Zoom
Join our panellists for a discussion that explores the experiences, creative challenges and learnings from directing and creating theatre with access at its heart. Following the discussion there will be an opportunity to ask questions.
Panellists include:
Nickie Miles -Wildin – Director, Little Bits of Ruined Beauty Indiana Lown-Collins – Theatre Director
Facilitator: Alexandra Whiteley
Access
Discussion and Q&As will be BSL interpreted and use autogenerated captions, and all panellists will offer audio description of themselves.
Live Capture Release
These events coincide with the online release of the recording of Little Bits of Ruined Beauty. Produced by Pentabus. Commissioned and supported by Unlimited, celebrating the work of disabled artists, with funding from Arts Council England.
The live recording of Little Bits of Ruined Beauty is being released as part of Village Halls Week on Monday 23 January 2023. The live capture will be available to watch until midnight on Sunday 5 February 2023.
Produced by Pentabus. Commissioned and supported by Unlimited, celebrating the work of disabled artists, with funding from Arts Council England.
This short form is designed to help you asses whether or not your show is Rural Touring ready. We take you through the very basic needs of rural touring and give you a list of things to consider. We also point you to other helpful resources and pages along the way. Please note this form is NOT a way of submitting your show to be considered for touring but should be used as a tool to equip yourself with the knowledge you need to approach schemes.
