If you’re a venue brand new to rural touring, and not sure how it all works or just looking for some advice on hosting your first event, we’ve gathered together all our most useful links and resources! And if you can’t find the answers in the posts below, remember you can always email us: admin@nrtf.org.uk
On average it take 58 volunteer hours to host every single rural touring event, which might sound like a daunting task. We asked existing volunteering promoters from across the UK, why they host rural touring events in their venue, and what advice they would give to new venues looking to offer their communities something new…
Why do you host rural touring events in your venue?
‘An opportunity to host quality professional shows that can take us on a magical journey without us leaving our village.’ Des George Neuadd Dyfi
‘Because it’s a total treat to watch fabulous performances in intimate settings such as small village halls. Members of the community who may very well not see anything at all otherwise are given the opportunity for a lovely night out, usually close to home.’ Tricia Meynell – Cumbria
“Live performance must be kept alive. It is a different experience to TV or Cinema and needs nurturing and supporting. It enriches your venue.” Steve and Fran, Hinton Martell, Tiny venue in Dorset
“…if one young person sees a live performance for the first time, or listens to artists telling them about their road to success, and is inspired, then you have done a good job!
Jan, Allendale Village Hall
“Not for the money, that’s for sure. But the quality and standard of the actors and musicians and dancers etc is wonderful and to see and the number of people who come and say how did we get to be so lucky to have this experience locally. I believe village halls etc are there for many things and if one young person sees a live performance for the first time, or listens to artists telling them about their road to success, and is inspired , then you have done a good job.” Jan, Allendale Village Hall, promoter for Highlights and others
“It is a real pleasure to bring a show into our community and to see the pleasure it brings to our audiences. These schemes are so important for the more remote communities as they get people out socialising and give a feeling of belonging to an extended community. Our walls have closed in on us enough over the past couple of years and we need to break down the feeling of isolation which many have found.” Graeme, Winterborne Stickland, Artsreach (Dorset)
“Partly because it opens doors for artists to reach communities, but it also allows us to present work that people might not see elsewhere. That diversity of programming is really important. Its also a great way to bring together parts of your community who may be distant from others, but are actually the same – they just might not know it.” John, The Civic Stourport
“To explore all ways of entertaining our community” DVHall Drayton Langport – On-the-Levels
“We are in a rural village with a large elderly population. They feel more comfortable in smaller venues, especially post Covid” Anonymous
What advice would you give to a village hall or venue approaching Rural Touring for the first time?
“Do it!” Des GeorgeNeuadd Dyfi
“Firstly, you’ll know that whatever show you are offered will be top quality, regardless of it’s type. It’s a great way to bring amazing acts to rural communities for not a huge amount of money. Great for community engagement.” Tricia Meynell – Cumbria
“Remember that you are choosing artists for your community not yourselves. Talk to others about what they would come to.” Steve and Fran, Hinton Martell, Tiny venue in Dorset
“Think about the size of your venue and any particularly useful stand out features (say a high ceiling for acrobats or a recreation ground for outdoor events. Know your audience and old fashioned leaflets thru doors and paper tickets purchased at your local store still works alongside media channels” Jan, Allendale Village Hall, promoter for Highlights and others
More importantly, the rural touring schemes and the NRTF are a great, friendly bunch who want nothing more than to see you succeed!
Graeme, winterborne stickland, artsreach (Dorset)
“Don’t be put off, or feel daunted by the unknown. Yes, there can be a lot of work required to host shows, but there are many other nearby promoters with lots of experience who you can reach out to and be guided / mentored through the process. More importantly, the rural touring schemes and the NRTF are a great, friendly bunch who want nothing more than to see you succeed!” Graeme, Winterborne Stickland, Artsreach (Dorset)
“Don’t be scared to try something unusual or different – it’s one of the best parts of Rural Touring – finding something different that your audience possibly wouldn’t see at a larger venue.” John, The Civic Stourport
“Make sure you have your ‘target’ audience in-focus. No good relying on your venue ‘faithful’ to turn-out for something they are not sure about.” DVHall Drayton Langport – On-the-Levels
“Use as many local village facebook groups as possible to advertise” Anonymous
Tell us about your favourite rural touring experience?
“There have been many. Two come to mind “The Chef Show” by Ragged Edge Productions. Life in a busy Indian restaurant, a brilliantly produced show which ended up with a superb curry produced by our local curry restaurant. Also Circo Rum bab production of L’Hotel!” Des George Neuadd Dyfi
“Too many to pinpoint one. If the ‘Farnham Maltings’ offer you a show – take it!” Tricia Meynell – Cumbria
“We don’t have a favourite really, but John Etheridge and Vimala Rowe performing sublimely in the church and the Grahams raising the roof of the village hall are particularly powerful memories. Very different, but both so well worthwhile.” Steve and Fran, Hinton Martell, Tiny venue in Dorset
“The dance – Pheonix Dance from Leeds was a high spot, Opera North come each year and hearing them warming up in the hall to sing outside is a heart wrenching moment, Kate Fox explaining thru laughter about her diagnosis of adult autism, King lear being performed as snow stormed down outside , we did not get home till the following evening!” Jan, Allendale Village Hall, promoter for Highlights and others
“We promoted a show called “”Our June’s Wedding”” a few years ago, and the show started with a “”wedding”” in our local chuch, then moved on to a party in the Village Hall. The wedding was officiated over by our local vicar (in full gowns etc) and 90% of the audience turned up dressed for a wedding with all the big hats, posh frocks and suits etc. The atmosphere was brilliant, and the whole “”congregation”” walked to 500m to the Hall en masse only to be told that as they walked they were travelling forward in time by one year!! It was amazing!” Graeme, Winterborne Stickland, Artsreach (Dorset)
“The first ever show at our venue was a Rural Touring show. It helped us prove to ourselves, and others that we could do this – that we could run a venue and make it a success. From that we built to taking over the operation of the venue and using it to transform the cultural offering locally.”
john, the civic, stourport
“Mountain Music was an excellent show which combined storytelling with Americana music and was done in the round. ” Anonymous
Anything else you’d like to tell us about or share with new venues and promoters?
“Don’t expect to make a fortune, be prepared to take risks. Always look for quality. The touring schemes are there to help make it happen” Des George Neuadd Dyfi
“Just do it. Advertise locally via email. Build up your own emailing list or see if you can piggy-back an existing one. Social media is invaluable. Posters locally are good, but in my opinion don’t generate much of an interest. Distribute the brochures printed by your local touring scheme in relevant places such as exhibitions/museums/arty places. If you are able to make your own posters they are sometimes better than the official ones you will get sent which tend to over-complicate things with too much text and not enough space for venue details/dates in large lettering. You can use these electronically and the paper ones you get sent for notice boards.” Tricia Meynell – Cumbria
“Don’t give up if you have one difficult show. the next one WILL be better.”
Steve and fran, hinto martell, tiny venue in dorset
“Make the artists welcome, us trustees use the time spent feeding them to join in and have a get together ourselves” Jan, Allendale Village Hall, promoter for Highlights and others
“As per my first comment, never be afraid to ask your local scheme for support and advice.” Graeme, Winterborne Stickland, Artsreach (Dorset)
“Beg, Borrow, and Salvage whetever you can to make your event work – and use whatever you can (if you can) to make it an experience i.e. Serve food or popcorn for a movie; dress up in a costume themed to the event (and encorage audienec to do the same); dress the venue to suit if you can (we had a WW2 era band and we built a sandbagged checkpoint for FOH to check tickets at). Make it different to seeing a film in the cinema or a show in a larger venue – you are different so be different.” John, The Civic Stourport
“[We] Recently installed a large screen new projector and sound system. We have the Umbrella film license plus music license and are now holding our own monthly film nights which are proving popular. With the kit we now have we can widen the spectrum of entertainment no end.” DVHall Drayton Langport – On-the-Levels
“Don’t panic if early sales are disappointing. Especially with Covid, people in villages seem to leave it late to get tickets” Anonymous
Across the country thousands of rural venues, village halls, community spaces, libraries, schools and pubs host professional artists, performances and events for their community. Musicians, theatre companies and other artists tour to these spaces, alongside urban arts venues, reaching as many audiences as possible.
Rural Touring happens in many different shapes and forms. Some artists and companies organise their own tours independently directly with venues but one of the main ways the NRTF supports rural touring, is by working with Rural Touring Schemes.
What is a rural touring scheme?
Spot On Lancashire performance
A rural touring scheme is a bit like a traditional arts venue… except, instead of organising a programme of events in different rooms of one building, they work with lots of rural venues across a geographical location (usually a county or several).
Rural Touring Schemes, put together a menu of professional art events, for their volunteer promoters and venues to choose from. This means that the people that live in those rural communities, that know their venue and their audiences the best, can choose the show that best fits for them, while also having the confidence, that the Rural Touring Scheme has put together a quality offer. Often Rural Touring Schemes will have seen the shows they are offering in advance or will have worked with the artist before.
The promoters and venues then choose one or two events from this menu, and let the Schemes know which shows they’d be interested in and wat dates work for them. The scheme will then look at all the expressions of interest from all their venues and start to piece together the jigsaw… making sure that the venues have chosen shows that physically fit in their spaces, ensuring that the artist dates are spread out across the county so that you don’t have two venues next to each other trying to host the same thing etc.
Then the artists, promoters and venues, and the Rural Touring Scheme all work together to market the events. The promoter and venue are responsible for selling tickets, setting up their own box office in a way that works for them. The artist will provide the venues with all the leaflets and marketing materials they need, and the Rural touring Scheme will put together a season brochure (like the one you might get from your local arts venue) which has all the shows happening in their area in, and they’ll also look after their website and social media.
This is the basic Rural Touring Scheme model. There are around 30 Rural Touring Schemes across the UK. Each one works slightly differently depending on their size and how they are funded, but the majority are funded by Arts Council England (or Arts Council Wales/Creative Scotland). This means they can support venues in covering the fees for the artists, but how each Scheme does this is slightly different.
How do I get involved with a scheme?
You can find your nearest Rural Touring Scheme by browsing our Scheme Directory here. The map pin points are based on where the Schemes main office is but they often cover the whole county. If you have trouble finding your scheme, email us admin@nrtf.org.uk and we can help.
Once you have found your local scheme you can contact them directly about becoming a promoter. You’ll find on most scheme websites they have more information about how they specifically work with volunteers and venues and a direct number or email address for you to contact them on
What if there isn’t a scheme that covers my area?
There are a handful of places in the UK not currently covered by a scheme (and we are all working to change that). If you think your venue is in one of these areas, contact us to make sure. As we mentioned before, there are ways of hosting professional rural touring events without being part of a scheme, and we can point you in the right direction for finding out about companies, or independently seeking out funding for your area.
It is also always worth making yourself known to your nearest scheme, even if they don’t currently cover your area. If they know that there is a venue near them actively wanting to promoter arts events, they can often help in other ways. Whether that is pointing artists who have spare dates in your direction, or linking you up with other organisations in your area.
Volunteering sits at the heart of the rural touring programme. Most of
the promoters are volunteers, every performance is supported by volunteers and
many of the venues are run exclusively by volunteers; even those venues who
employ professional staff utilise the help of a network of volunteers in
promoting and supporting performances.
Case Study Taken from CONCERTA report
Historical NRTF data suggests that in
any one year there is something in the region of 110,000 volunteer hours
committed to supporting rural touring[1].
Given that during the five years of study, there were 9,467 performances in
4,354 venues this would mean that each performance had something in the region
of 58 volunteer hours associated with it.
Our Case Study evidence would suggest
that this substantially underestimates the amount of volunteertime dedicated to
supporting rural touring performances. In Borwick and Priest Hutton
Memorial Hall in Lancashire, for example, when researchers arrived at the venue
three hours before the show was due to start, five volunteers were already hard
at work in the venue putting up temporary staging, arranging tables and seats,
helping the artists unload equipment and liaising with the artist’s technician
in order to integrate the hall’s lighting and projection facilities into the
technical requirements for the show. Behind the scenes other volunteers were
preparing a meal to be eaten by the artists and their team before going on
stage. As show time arrived, other volunteers arrived to operate ticket sales
and regulate the door and seat audience members. When the show finished members
of the audience stayed behind to help clear away the chairs and tables and put
away the temporary staging. Volunteers helped the band load their van, put away
the staging and it was a volunteer who swept the hall at the end of the night
and switched off the lights and locked up, long after everyone else had gone
home.
In Caunton Dean in Nottinghamshire, different
volunteers take on responsibility for ticket sales, for poster distribution and
for preparing food as well as preparing the venue. In Devoran, in Cornwall a
group of volunteer parents organise a whole programme of children’s shows and
activities.
Even in venues with professional staff,
the amount of volunteer time dedicated to a performance far outweighs the
amount of professional time. In Wem Town Hall, for instance, for the
performance of Just Us dance company, there was one duty manager on duty during
the whole event; however audience members arriving at the venue bought their
tickets from a volunteer in the box office, ordered and were served their
pre-show and interval refreshments from a volunteer and were greeted and seated
by volunteers. At the end of the night volunteers cleared the hall and put away
seating. Night after night, this scene is repeated in all the venues
participating in rural touring.
Every performance is supported by a
rich network of volunteers and volunteer labour, but it is important to
understand that volunteering goes far beyond preparing the venue and helping
out on the night.
A point emphasised repeatedly through the study fieldwork is that
‘voluntary’ does not equate to poor quality. Artists interviewed talked about the
professionalism of locally-run venues. Promoters talked with pride about the
different roles that volunteers took on and the professional way they carried
them out. Schemes themselves operate a contractual relationship, which demands
the same kind of accountability from volunteer promoters as it would from
professionals.
This is a very important point. While the NRTF and local Schemes offer a range of packages of support to promoters, there is very little practical support around supporting volunteers and volunteering as such. Venues that have paid staff, have some capacity to run schemes to recruit and support volunteers, but the reality for most voluntarily-run venues is that most promoters rely on a group of people to help them out who receive very little in the way of support or training. Usually they are people who have self-nominated or are known previously to the promoter. Often the groups of volunteers stay relatively fixed over time and promoters often say that it is difficult or impossible to get new people involved.
“People
tend to mix and match for other activities but no one come forwards for the
arts” … no-one younger wants to come forwards to help you see” (Volunteer Promoter)
Although it is understandable that
there may be a reluctance for new people to get involved, interestingly our
audience survey responses (Section 3.12) indicate that there is a small but
significant number of local audience members who would be willing to get
involved and to help out. This would appear to be an opportunity for future
development and could contribute both to sustainability and to succession
planning in local venues.
Our Case Studies indicated, as does the literature, that there are a
range of motives for people to volunteer at rural touring events. One volunteer started to help-out because his
wife was volunteering, another found that it was a great way to meet people
after moving to the area and developed a range of friendships as a result. All
the volunteers we talked to expressed a real sense of pride and enjoyment from
their volunteering.
“We get a
buzz out of it and people enjoy themselves obviously… and when people come up
at the end of the show and say that was a blooming good show. Best yet or
whatever.”
“I do get enormous satisfaction from the
village hall being a success for putting on things that people enjoy and making
a bit of money. I do get emotional. You know, I mean I enjoy it coming to
fruition and when it comes off we all have a good time.”
“I never ever
would have thought, ‘I’ll go and watch a ballet’, and it’s just changed me and
enabled me to watch things and see things that I never thought I would enjoy
even. Some of them are hard work …”
“Just remembered, I forgot to say why I was
doing it and it’s the same reason as everyone else has, as in it’s nice to meet
people and I genuinely believe the same things as you, the Town Hall is
important but also for selfish reasons that, because I have used it for myself
as a venue to do my art, where I have received some income, so it only seems
fair to balance that with supporting it on a voluntary basis as well.”
The benefits of volunteering are many and varied. Our
conversations with volunteers, promoters and with schemes identify many
benefits both to individuals and to communities that accrue from volunteering.
These range from the individual skills and health and wellbeing outcomes to the
more macro community benefits related to increased community capacity, richer
social and cultural interaction and civic society. Some of thing volunteers
reported to us included the following quotes:
“It anchors you to the community.”
“It’s enabled me and now makes me watch
things I never thought I would watch.”
“I really wanted to put something back into
the community.”
“It makes you more positive about where you
live.”
Individual volunteers were much more
likely to talk about their personal benefits, often related to a greater sense
of involvement, friendship, purpose and pride with being involved and
associated with touring events.
“… and so I came here because I returned
back to the village after a bereavement and really was looking for an out to
get to know people. So, that, yeah, and have met lovely, lovely people”.
Yet it was notable also that many
people who started volunteering on rural touring activities had ended up being
involved in other projects and skills and confidence learned through being
involved in the touring events had soon transferred to other activities.
For example, we gathered many examples
in our study of how volunteering on arts events often leads to and generates
other arts activity. In one example, in Borwick and Priest Hutton in Lancashire,
a core group of volunteers were so inspired after hosting professional acts in
their local hall that they decided to form their own ceilidh
band, and which is now a fixture at many local events and has proved both an
asset to the local community as well as of great personal value to those
involved. Another example was in Wem, where an individual who saw that after
attending a film performance, the audience tended to stay and chat about the
film, through this experience she was inspired to introduce film performances
as part of her volunteering with U3A.
Rural touring, then, both builds and further enables community capacity. In Caunton
Dean in Nottinghamshire, for example, the local history society was set up
partly as a result of interests and social contacts fermented at rural touring
events. Today, many of those involved in
supporting the rural touring events now also support local history society
events. As a result of the experience gained through rural touring events the
organisers know what goes into planning and promoting events and have the
mechanisms for publicity such as the parish magazine and word of mouth networks,
and which they have the skills to exploit. They now host guest speakers.
Equally, all the village events benefit from this skill and legacy; village
fetes, MacMillan coffee mornings, bring and buy sales, Christmas events, all
reflect the fact that there is an embedded knowledge of what goes on into
promoting successful events that interviewees connected back to having been
fostered through rural touring experience.
Another example, from Borwick and
Priest Hutton, illustrates very graphically how volunteering can lead to very
practical and substantial economic outcomes. In this part of Lancashire, the local
speeds for broadband were extremely slow and many people had been talking about
how this was hampering the development of business and other initiatives
locally. The promoter in conversation with other volunteers he worked with at
the memorial hall on arts events saw the opportunity to do something about it.
The immediate circle of people he asked to support him were the same group of
volunteers who supported the arts events. Over two years this group met one day
a week to physically dig and install the community broadband across the local
countryside which resulted in the local community installing a hyper-fast broadband
infrastructure at a fraction of the cost that it would have been if a
professional company had undertaken the work. Already after two years, there
are reports of more local businesses springing up and at least one media
company has relocated to the area as a result of the development[1].
Although Borwick and Priest Hutton is a particularly strong example of the
knock-on effects of volunteering, it is a powerful reminder that many people
who start off volunteering in one area of activity often get involved in other
volunteering when the opportunity arises
“Really, in an area like this,
you’ve got huge human potentials. People with tremendous talents and experience
and so on and often an enormous willingness to get involved and work hard and
all the rest of it, but most frequently what’s missing is anyone to catalyse
that process. I mean, if you’re prepared to do that, I mean, for me, relatively
small amounts of effort can get a huge payback in terms of what you can
achieve.” (Volunteer Borwick and Priest Hutton)
Our Case Studies indicated how
volunteers involved in rural touring events are involved in a myriad of ways in
their local communities. Although rural touring events are just one of the many
activities that volunteers support, they enjoy a symbiotic relationship with
other areas of volunteer activity, and if rural touring wasn’t always the
catalyst which started many volunteers off on their volunteering journey, it
continues to sustain and develop this critical capacity for rural communities
well beyond the arts.
National Rural Touring Forum supports rural touring schemes, promoters, artists and communities to bring high quality and professional creative experiences to rural venues and audiences. It does this through advocating on behalf of the sector, creating national projects, networking, showcasing and hosting an annual conference.
What is rural touring and why is it different from urban touring?
Rural touring is where professional performances take place in rural venues. These rural venues usually take the form of a Village Hall or Community Centre, but can also be pubs, libraries and outdoors. They are rarely fully equipped arts venues. Performances are programmed by a rural touring scheme, who will curate a varied season of events. Instead of all the events taking place in a couple of rooms in one building, they take place in lots of venues across a specific geographical area, sometimes whole counties, sometimes even further. Rural touring work is very different from touring to city centres or venues in urban areas. Artists express high regard for rural touring venues and the level of professionalism from the promoters. They often talk about their appreciation of a certain “magic” and warmth of the audiences that happens at rural events which aren’t the same at larger halls or festivals.
“The heart of the reason why it’s different from a town centre art centre is that the audience knows each other. That contributes to the other thing that is distinctive, which is that rural touring events become part of shared memory, part of what builds community. So, for both of those reasons, I think that it is a very distinctive kind of artistic experience.” François Matarasso, March 2019
Green Touring Touring is inherently greener than venue-based work. Large venues consume vast amounts of energy and expel lots of carbon. People invariably drive to them – or drive to a station to get a train to get to a city where the venue is. Small-scale touring – where one van is on the road for a small cast – has a low carbon footprint in comparison. Rural touring is generally set in villages where many audiences walk to the venue. And if they don’t walk, they live usually within a 10-mile radius, so journeys are short. Previous NRTF annual surveys report that 90% of audiences travel for less than 10 minutes to get to their village hall.
Rural Promoters
Rural touring couldn’t happen without promoters who host the events. They work with the schemes to identify which performance or artist is the most relevant for their audience and do everything from box-office to get-ins, promotion, hosting artists. Many know their audiences on a first name basis. Volunteering sits at the heart of rural touring; most promoters are volunteers. Venues employing professional staff utilise the help of a network of dedicated helpers. Promoters maintain an engaged audience for shows, know what they like and are aware of the level of risk they are comfortable in taking in their programme.
Performers
All genres of work are represented in rural touring. Creative practitioners and performing companies are selected via recommendations, showcasing, introductions, festivals and seeking out shows independently. They all have a few things in common – flexibility, relevance to the audience, and professional quality work. “It’s about putting artists in front of audiences and audiences in front of artists. Everything else is fundamentally about getting that moment working Properly. Our job is to make sure that that marriage is right and the right communities, the right shows and the right artists end up in the right place at the right time and that’s very important to us.” Director, rural touring scheme
Health in the Community
Rural touring brings high-quality arts to people who otherwise would not have access to it. This can contribute to reducing the effects of isolation and to developing community cohesion, while also strengthening the capacity of local people to organise and to develop themselves. Bringing quality, diverse, and challenging arts activity has been shown to be integral to catalysing and supporting community life in rural areas, especially as other village ‘anchors’ such as shops and pubs have diminished. The act of programming touring arts into rural areas generates a range of individual and community benefits, including personal development, improved well-being and supporting community buildings and infrastructures such as pubs, halls and schools. The strengthening of existing community organisations through networking and volunteering and bringing people together positively fosters community cohesion by reducing loneliness, breaking down age barriers and even, enhanced local democracy.
NRTF Director Holly Lombardo was invited to speak at a symposium run by Gulbenkian Foundation (UK) called A Civic Role for Arts Organisations: Relevance, Risks, Rewards. 21st June, London, Wellcome Trust: Cultural Spaces: Temples or Town Halls (1 – 5.30pm)
This London conference at the Wellcome Collection, focused on ‘Cultural Spaces: Temples or Town Halls?’. Popular topics included ways to make cultural spaces more welcoming to all citizens; the need for deep and meaningful engagement; and calls for change in the sector so that staffing and visitors reflected the diverse population of London.
Talking about the Civic role the
arts play… The opening perspectives were from Sir Nick Serota, (Chair of
Arts Council England) and Delia Barker (Roundhouse). Speakers included Tristram Hunt (V&A) Tania Wilmer
(Future Arts Centres) Matt Peacock (With One Voice) Victoria Pomery and Karen
Eslea (Turner Contemporary) Helen Featherstone (Yorkshire Sculpture Park) Ruth
Mackenzie (Theatre du Chatelet) Tony Butler (Derby Museums) Ruby Baker and
Khadijah Ibrahiim (Poet in the City). – David Tovey – (With One Voice/One
Festival of Homeless Arts), Holly Lombardo (National Rural Touring Forum) and
David Bryan (XTEND).
We explored – what does it mean to play a civic role? For some arts organisations, it is at the heart of their mission and practice; others think it is not relevant. Communities are questioning whether the public money that arts organisations receive is benefiting local people; there are hard questions to be asked and there are no easy answers.
Following the two-year Inquiry into the Civic Role of Arts Organisations, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (UK Branch) is working with partners across the country to support a series of conferences. They shared experiences, discussed, debated and imagined the significance of a civic role for arts organisations and the relevance they hold within our communities. Speakers share the innovative, sometimes radical, ways in which they are developing their arts organisation’s civic role.
Cultural spaces, whether they are building-based, conceptual, virtual, pop-up or temporary locations outdoors, can play a pivotal role in developing creativity, enriching lives and communities and fostering social cohesion. A majority of cultural spaces are funded with public money, we continue to create new spaces but who is benefiting and how are communities involved in making the decisions? How relevant is the work that is produced to the lives and ambitions of the communities that cultural spaces are located within?
The conference started with key perspectives addressing the topic: Cultural Spaces: Temples or Town Halls?’ within the overarching theme of Relevance, Risks and Rewards, followed by interventions, presentations, and panels: ‘Re-imagining our cultural spaces’ and ‘New space, who will come?’ Opening perspective from Sir Nick Serota, Chair, ACE
Delegates at the events were treated to a sneak preview of a new publication, ‘What Would Joan Littlewood Say?’. The collection of essays by leaders in the arts and cultural sector argues that arts organisations should do more for and with the communities they are part of. You can read an online version https://civicroleartsinquiry.gulbenkian.org.uk/resources/what-would-joan-littlewood-say
National Rural Touring Forum supports rural touring schemes, promoters, artists and communities to bring high quality and professional creative experiences to rural venues and audiences. It does this through advocating on behalf of the sector, creating national projects, networking, showcasing and hosting an annual conference.
What is rural touring and why is it different to urban touring?
Rural touring is where professional performances take place in rural venues. These rural venues usually take the form of a Village Hall or Community Centre, but can also be pubs, libraries and outdoors. They are rarely fully equipped arts venues. Performances are programmed by a rural touring scheme, who will curate a varied season of events. Instead of all the events taking place in a couple of rooms in one building, they take place in lots of venues across a specific geographical area, sometimes whole counties, sometimes even further. Rural touring work is very different from touring to city centres or venues in urban areas. Artists express high regard for rural touring venues and the level of professionalism from the promoters. They often talk about their appreciation of a certain “magic” and warmth of the audiences that happens at rural events which aren’t the same at larger halls or festivals.
“The heart of the reason why it’s different from a town centre art centre is that the audience knows each other. That contributes to the other thing that is distinctive, which is that rural touring events become part of shared memory, part of what builds community. So, for both of those reasons, I think that it is a very distinctive kind of artistic experience.” François Matarasso, March 2019
Green Touring
Touring is inherently greener than venue-based work. Large venues consume vast amounts of energy and expel lots of carbon. People invariably drive to them – or drive to a station to get a train to get to a city where the venue is. Small-scale touring – where one van is on the road for a small cast – has a low carbon footprint in comparison. Rural touring is generally set in villages where many audiences walk to the venue. And if they don’t walk, they live usually within a 10-mile radius, so journeys are short. Previous NRTF annual surveys report that 90% of audiences travel for less than 10 minutes to get to their village hall.
Rural Promoters
Rural touring couldn’t happen without promoters who host the events. They work with the schemes to identify which performance or artist is the most relevant for their audience and do everything from box-office to get-ins, promotion, hosting artists. Many know their audiences on a first name basis.
Volunteering sits at the heart of rural touring; most promoters are volunteers. Venues employing professional staff utilise the help of a network of dedicated helpers. Promoters maintain an engaged audience for shows, know what they like and are aware of the level of risk they are comfortable in taking in their programme.
Performers
All genres of work are represented in rural touring. Creative practitioners and performing companies are selected via recommendations, showcasing, introductions, festivals and seeking out shows independently. They all have a few things in common – flexibility, relevance to the audience, and professional quality work.
“It’s about putting artists in front of audiences and audiences in front of artists. Everything else is fundamentally about getting that moment working Properly. Our job is to make sure that that marriage is right and the right communities, the right shows and the right artists end up in the right place at the right time and that’s very important to us.” Director, rural touring scheme
Health in the Community
Rural touring brings high-quality arts to people who otherwise would not have access to it. This can contribute to reducing the effects of isolation and to developing community cohesion, while also strengthening the capacity of local people to organise and to develop themselves. Bringing quality, diverse, and challenging arts activity has been shown to be integral to catalysing and supporting community life in rural areas, especially as other village ‘anchors’ such as shops and pubs have diminished. The act of programming touring arts into rural areas generates a range of individual and community benefits, including personal development, improved well-being and supporting community buildings and infrastructures such as pubs, halls and schools. The strengthening of existing community organisations through networking and volunteering and bringing people together positively fosters community cohesion by reducing loneliness, breaking down age barriers and even, enhanced local democracy.
NRTF PROJECTS
The Rural Touring Dance Initiative (RTDI) began in 2015. Its aim was to introduce dance, in particular, contemporary dance, into rural areas where there was very little happening. RTDI offers a menu list to schemes and promoters alongside several incentives ranging from financial to marketing support. RTDI runs training labs and ongoing provision to artists who want to develop work in rural areas. The result has been a considerable increase in the number of contemporary dance performances taking place in rural areas as well as the number of creative practitioners developing work suitable for touring to rural venues.
CONCERTA – has been a national study of the benefits, for local community development, of a relatively under-researched form of creative activity: rural touring arts. In 2016, Arts Council England (ACE) launched the second round of calls for proposals to the Research Grants Programme. The call sought proposals aimed at collaborative research work to develop the evidence base around the impact of arts and culture. The role of the Research Grants Programme is to generate evidence: ■ to better understand the impact of arts and culture; ■ to make the best case for arts and culture in the context of reduced public spending; and ■ to promote greater collaboration and co-operation between the arts and cultural sector and research partners.
Benefits and Impact of Rural Touring
RT acts as an agent between the local agenda and creative work being made
RT sector doesn’t just tour work that is already touring – it commissions and premiers too
When the country is becoming more ‘place-based’ RT addresses localism by creating work with national appeal
RT is ahead of the curve when it comes to non-traditional touring spaces in comparison to town and city-based touring
It supports professional performance into rural areas, engaging residents in cultural experiences
Thanks to RT, audiences in rural areas can enjoy the same opportunities to see and appreciate the arts on their doorsteps as urban counterparts
RT supports skills development and cohesion
RT gives opportunities to address social mobility and people living in deprivation
RT contributes to local economic growth
RT can change individual and community perceptions of art and culture, increasing confidence and a sense of belonging in people
RT helps facilitate a greater understanding of what local provision should be delivered and how this could be achieved
RT helps drive improvements in local facilities
RT supports the development of strong local networks and volunteering in a range of activities.
RT is a driver for promoting a year-round calendar of events and activities
RT positively contributes to wellbeing including social and emotional development
RT fosters the empowerment of young people
RT encourages social inclusion and integration into the wider community
RT encourages the arts to be more integrated into the school curriculum
National Rural Touring Forum is delighted to announce the shortlist for NRTF Rural Touring Awards 2019. Hundreds of performing companies, individuals and groups were nominated this year. It is always a difficult decision to shortlist and decide the winners as the competition is so high. The Awards celebrate the breadth, passion and professionalism prevalent in the rural touring sector. They also recognise the quality of the arts, the promoters, venues and wider industry. They are an opportunity to draw attention to the quality of performance and performing companies as well as to collaborations and the network of individuals who go above and beyond on behalf of the health and cohesion of their local community. The awards reward not just the winners but everyone who has performed, organised and taken part in Rural Arts & Touring. Winners will be announced at the Hi-VIS: NRTF Conference 2019, being held in Bangor, Wales 2 – 4 July 2019. Hosting the awards is Kate Fox, stand up poet, who will be joined by the nominees and many from the rural touring sector, including schemes, programmers, directors and performers. Awards were judged by three industry professionals – Jude Henderson, Director – Federation of Scottish Theatres; Ian McMillan – poet, journalist, playwright, and broadcaster; and Kate Green, Deputy Editor – Country Life Magazine.
AWARD NOMINATIONS SHORTLIST 2019
Young Person of the Year Jasmine Lowrie, 20 “I’m surprised by the nomination but honoured to have been nominated and glad to be making a positive impact on rural touring” Jasmin
Sam Pullen, 14 “Sam is clearly an exceptional young person with a bright future in our industry.” Judge
Break Through Performance of the Year Sophia Hatfield from Stute Theatre “I am absolutely delighted that the creativity, ambition, passion and hard work of the wonderful team behind Common Lore has been recognised through this nomination”. Sophia
Theatre company Dante or Die “Working with the guest cast members in each location around the country was an absolute pleasure and an inspiration” Dante or Die
Haunted Man by Kindred Theatre “I enjoyed the description of transforming the space into a theatre, demonstrating that rural touring isn’t always about small, intimate performances.” Judge
Special Award Karen Jeremiah, Creative Arts East “I love the idea of her pushing the boundaries of what rural touring can be and do!” Judge
TheatrBara Caws “I’m excited and moved by the fact that they make shows in Welsh, creating new work in a so-called minority language and challenging the rest of us about our ideas about what art is and what it can be.” Judge
Sian Allen, Arts Alive “I feel honoured and humbled and also a bit thrilled. Rural Touring is such a team effort – I don’t think any one person can ever be assigned particular credit for any aspect of its gloriousness” Sian
Favourite Performance of the Year
I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost – Little Earthquake “We are very proud rural tourers — the network gives us a unique opportunity to connect with, learn from and, most of all, entertain audiences who live outside the catchment areas of major metropolitan arts venues, up and down the country. Our “Favourite Performance of the Year” nomination has come directly from audience members who have experienced and enjoyed our work” Phil
Excalibow by Bowjangles “We have been Rural Touring for a decade now and it remains one of our favourite things to do as a group. Of course, none of it would be possible without the dedication of the staff organising the scheme menus, the devotion of the volunteer promoters or the enthusiasm of the audiences who make every show we do an absolute delight. We are truly honoured to have been nominated for this award!”
Brilliance by Farnham Maltings “Hearing that your efforts and ambitions chime with peers from across the country is both humbling and hugely motivating. Knowing that it matters, as we all do, that artists can make contemporary, experimental, playful work in village halls is a truth that needs to universally be understood” Gavin Henderson, Farnham Maltings
Touring Scheme Collaboration of the year
The Northern Consortium Co-working and Partnerships: Five rural touring schemes in the North: Spot On (Lancashire); Cheshire Rural Touring; Arts Out West (West Cumbria); Highlights (East Cumbria, Northumberland, County Durham) and ArtERY live/liveLincs (East Riding of Yorkshire & North Lincolnshire), along with Arts Alive (Shropshire & Herefordshire), Rural Arts (North Yorkshire), form an un-constituted, informal strategic alliance
Carn toCove and Villages in Action “We are really excited to be part of the rural touring awards this year, as they are becoming an established part of the NRTF year. We are really honoured to be shortlisted, as we know how much great work goes on in our sector and we are very much looking forward to meeting up with colleagues and friends at the Award Ceremony” Claire, Carn to Cove
The InnCrowd “This is a fabulous, ground-breaking scheme bringing performance to new spaces and bringing new life and new ideas to those spaces” Judge
Voluntary Promoter or Voluntary Promoting Group of the Year
Gaynor Morgan Rees and Gwyneth Kensler “They have obviously done an amazing job over 20 years – people like this make the world go around” Judge
David Lane “Thrilled and surprised to be nominated, not just for me, but also for my wonderful team of helpers. Grateful to our audiences who are prepared to give something new a try; to the brilliant performers who thrill and surprise us; and to the fab Head Office staff who are always there to help us.” David
Yvonne Brown and the committee at The Dog Inn, Belthorn “We are absolutely amazed to be nominated and short-listed for this award. With the help of Spot-on Lancashire, we have brought new and varied arts performances to Belthorn, and these have been well-received, and we intend to continue to offer these experiences. ” Yvonne
Tickets for this years NRTF conference are now on sale. We know, we know, we’ve mentioned it a thousand times already on social media, but no doubt one or two of you will have missed the news.
In the past, we’ve alternated every other year between a conference and a showcase, but this year we’re combining the two to give you the chance to see work that you may wish to programme in the future as well as the space to catch up with peers, colleagues and sector news. If you’re a promoter and you’ve never been to one of our conferences or showcases before and are worried that the conference might not be for you, then we’re here to assure you it is, so without further ado here are 8 reasons you should attend this year’s conference as a promoter.
1. It’s a place to meet other promoters from across the country… Being a promoter is a busy job, and chances are most of the time you’re so focussed on your next event, that other than at menu launch parties (if your scheme has them) you have very few opportunities to meet other promoters. The conference is an excellent opportunity to meet other like-minded people from across the country. A chance to support and bounce ideas off one another, and invaluable headspace for thinking about promoting as a whole. Meeting people in the same boat as you can really recharge the batteries, and helps you build your own support network.
2. You’ll be provoked to think differently… With meeting lots of new people, comes lots of new ideas. Whether it’s a fellow promoter suggesting new ways of advertising your event or one of our fantastic showcases that lets you see the world in a slightly different way, the conference is a chance to be provoked. We all know that promoting and audiences are forever changing, and our thinking should be too.
3. It’s a reminder that what we all do matters… When you’re in the thick of it, trying your hardest to sell tickets, and work out the logistics of putting on an event it can be easy to forget why we all do what we do. But leaving your home turf and surrounding yourself with like-minded people, seeing new shows, and hearing about what rural touring beyond your area is doing, is just the reminder we all need, that what we do, matters.
4. It’s a chance to raise concerns, challenges, and find solutions together… It’s not always smooth sailing, and you may have some concerns about rural touring, upcoming shows, or the national picture. This is where the conference side of this event comes in. We want to share with you, but we also want to hear from you. Our ‘Big Conversations’ will address some critical areas of concerns you may have and there will be plenty of time to have big conversations of your own.
5. You’ll get to see shows you might want to programme in the future – and ones you may never have considered… When it comes to booking shows you want to be confident you’re bringing the very best to your venue, and the best way to do that is to see the work for yourself beforehand. This year we’ve listened to your feedback from previous showcases and programmed a fantastic range of work, that is either already rural touring ready or is in the process of being made. There will also be a range of work that you may have never considered before. We always want to be bringing the best new artists and work into the sector, and we know you do too.
6. There’s a session specifically about developing partnerships and audiences… Worried that the conference will be aimed solely at schemes? It won’t be. Every session will have something valuable for promoters in it. Whether that’s our CONCERTA session all about our national social impact study, or one of our big conversations, there will be key learning and conversation points for everyone. And on top of that, we have a session specifically for promoters, by promoters, all about building partnerships and developing your audiences – something we know is never far from any promoters mind!
7. It’s a chance to hear about national projects and future opportunities… A lot is going on in the world of rural touring. From the Rural Touring Dance Initiative to Applauses Outdoor project. The conference is a great chance to hear about new projects and opportunities that may come your way and the all-important learning that has come from them.
8. The National Rural Touring Awards… And of course, we couldn’t write a blog post about the conference without mentioning the annual National Rural Touring Awards. You’ve been nominating the shows, artists, projects and people that deserve national recognition, and the award ceremony will take place on the second night of the conference. A chance not only to celebrate our award nominees and winners but the work that we all do to make sure rural communities have the same access to art as their urban counterparts. We’ll raise a drink to that!
And that’s it, 8 reasons you should attend this years conference/showcase if you’re a promoter. We’re sure we’ve missed some, so if you’ve previously attended an NRTF conference, let us know in the comments below, or on Facebook, what was the best thing you go out of it. And if you haven’t already, be sure to book your conference tickets here: http://2qsr4y.attendify.io/ by scrolling to the bottom of the page, and completing the information required.
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.
