The arts are making an increasingly important contribution to the UK?s economy, and this is reflected in a boom in international tours by British arts organisations. Gary Hills explains.
Mention of the word ?export? often brings to mind containers full of manufactured goods such as steel and machine parts or, depending on your frame of mind, a crate of extra strong beer. This particular word association seems to suggest that in order to export something, you first need to design it, make it, pack it up and ship it out to some other part of the world. Of course, international trade is not as simple as that: the export stamp on a crate represents months, if not years, of negotiation, networking and business development in an increasingly competitive world. By association, export seems to be the preserve of manufacturing companies, global corporations and government. Hardly surprising, then, that export has not been a term used freely in the performing arts sector.
Increasing influence
In recent years though, there has been a growing buzz around the export potential of the performing arts as recognition has grown that the sector?s products and skills can be as exportable as wheel nuts. This leap of faith is in no small part due to the government?s willingness to open its eyes to the potential of the creative industries in general and its ears to the particular needs of the performing arts sector. One of the major barriers for developing the performing arts internationally lies in building lasting relationships with people who have seen the work as it is meant to be seen ? live. For many companies, getting their work seen by the people that matter is the first stumbling block, especially if they?re not able to participate in international marketplaces like Edinburgh or the oversubscribed British Council Showcase.
Now, the performing arts are beginning to benefit from government schemes which, a short while ago, seemed beyond the sector?s reach. The key players in this brave new move are the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and their advisory body, the Performing Arts International Development group (PAID). The advisory group?s members are representatives from across the industry who make independent recommendations on how government and the performing arts sector can work together to enhance export performance. Since November 2002, a small team from the Independent Theatre Council (ITC) has been working with the PAID group to test the appropriateness and accessibility of government schemes but, more importantly, to test new models of showcasing and to spread the word about how companies need to develop their business in order to export successfully.
In and out
There were two excellent examples of showcasing in 2004, both of which benefited from overseas promoters (supported by UKTI) travelling to the UK to see the work ? in government language these are known as ?inward missions?. In October, the Take Off! Festival was able to welcome international delegates to performances of work for children and young people. Later that month, another delegation arrived to tour the UK to see the work of five mid-scale companies presenting work in their home venues ? a rare treat indeed for all involved. Both showcases resulted in firm bookings and the start of relationship-building for many of the companies involved.
Outward missions are another valuable tool in the export development kit. As the name suggests, representatives from companies are partly supported by UKTI to travel to potential countries to start building business and developing contacts there. London-based theatre company Tamasha offer a good example of how a company can be part of an organised all-industry outward mission, where a theatre director can sit on the plane next to a car-parts manufacturer. Since 1989, the company has enjoyed a number of successes in Britain with ?East Is East?, ?Balti Kings? and the award-winning ?Fourteen Songs, Two Wed-dings and A Funeral?. In light of this, Tamasha felt confident that the time was right to be-gin exporting work for international markets and to develop an international reputation. Tamasha chose Australia, in particular Sydney and Melbourne, to carry out research for exporting the work, with a plan to export ?Strictly Dandia?, a production focusing on the Gu-jarati community.
As the company?s then General Manager, Bryan Savery, said, ?I carried out the export re-search in Britain and then in Australia in June 2002, with my main purpose being to investigate the theatre market and related cultural context of Australia (in particular, the capital Sydney). Without UKTI support I wouldn?t even have known where to start answering these questions ? or, indeed, who to ask! The methodology behind the UKTI scheme of marketing research gave me a clear line to follow in my approach, as well as offering practical advice about who to see, and how to utilise the time with the correct people. As well as answering questions about whether there was an audience for our work in Australia (there was!), Tamasha also employed a producer, based in Australia, who set up a tour of Strictly Dandia in 2004.?
Passports
Another example is offered by multicultural dance company Phoenix Dance Theatre, which has been performing in the UK for over 20 years. In 2003, it decided to explore possibilities for performing in the US and Canada and co-operated with UKTI?s international trade team based at Business Link West Yorkshire to explore ways of raising its profile over-seas. The company received funding to attend a specialised outward mission organised by the International Artist Managers? Association (IAMA), again supported by UKTI. The annual Arts Presenters conference in New York is a five-day international showcase for per-forming arts companies seeking to obtain bookings throughout North America. As a result of their attendance, Phoenix will be undertaking a five-week tour to five different cities in the USA in April/May 2006. David Edmunds, Phoenix?s producer, says, ?The whole tour has come about due to myself and Artistic Director Darshan Singh Buller attending the conference in 2003 and showcasing at the same conference in 2004. Without the UKTI Passport to Export grants we would not have the tour in place.?
Internationalism
It is important to realise, however, that schemes such as these are not necessarily the Holy Grail of internationalism. UKTI schemes can help the developmental phase of export, but they neither fund the work nor guarantee the outcomes. Individual companies will still need to strike the deal, balance the books and put in many administrative hours ? probably over a lengthy period of time. The message that continually comes through, then, is that it is essential to develop your business to make international work an integral part of your company?s mission. In essence, you need to be ready for export (UKTI can even offer an export audit to test your readiness).
The good news for the performing arts industry is that international work no longer needs to be hit and miss, there are now real opportunities to develop overseas markets according to a long-term plan. The climate of change is clear to see. New models for UK showcasing are continuing with projects under development in Scotland, Wales and Birmingham for 2006, whilst companies are invited to apply for a place on the next IAMA outward missions to China and the US. Arts Council England?s recently published International Strategy (AP issue 101, 4 July) promotes the need for developing and strengthening partnerships, particularly with government departments and the British Council, and also makes clear that an element of funding can be used to support work outside the country. For those who wish to learn the nuts and bolts of international touring, ITC runs a DCMS/UKTI supported three-day residential course in September 2005 or its regular one-day equivalent for those who are absolute beginners.
Gary Hills is the Director of Theatre Factory, a Brussels-based promotion and arts consultancy company and a member of the ITC industry advisory team to the PAID group.
e: gary@theatrefactory.com