The rural touring sector puts the audience, rather than the artist, at the centre of its activity, observes Lyn Gardner. Perhaps city-based venues have something to learn.
Talk to many artists and companies about touring – currently in a pretty parlous state – and one thing they often mention with affection is rural touring. Cake always seems to figure in these conversations, as companies recall turning up in far flung village halls, being greeted with tea and baked goods, and made to feel welcome before putting on the show for the community.
Rural touring has often been a lifeline. One theatre-maker with a much-admired solo show recently told me it was easier to get rural touring dates than a single performance in a studio theatre in Manchester. Another company said they got paid more for a single rural touring date than a week of performances at a significant London venue which had courted and booked their show– and they were made to feel more welcome on the rural date. Yet rural touring is often largely invisible and undervalued in our theatre culture.
Last week I was in Norfolk for the National Rural Touring Forum’s annual conference which brings together funders, local councils, producers and promoters to see showcases of work and discuss the value of rural touring. The NRTF scheme is not the only way to tour rurally, but I came away wondering what could be learned from a sector that puts the audience rather than the artist at the centre of its activity, talks about the arts in an accessible way and which thinks very hard about what is presented, where and how... Keep reading on The Guardian
Talk to many artists and companies about touring – currently in a pretty parlous state – and one thing they often mention with affection is rural touring. Cake always seems to figure in these conversations, as companies recall turning up in far flung village halls, being greeted with tea and baked goods, and made to feel welcome before putting on the show for the community.
Rural touring has often been a lifeline. One theatre-maker with a much-admired solo show recently told me it was easier to get rural touring dates than a single performance in a studio theatre in Manchester. Another company said they got paid more for a single rural touring date than a week of performances at a significant London venue which had courted and booked their show– and they were made to feel more welcome on the rural date. Yet rural touring is often largely invisible and undervalued in our theatre culture.
Last week I was in Norfolk for the National Rural Touring Forum’s annual conference which brings together funders, local councils, producers and promoters to see showcases of work and discuss the value of rural touring. The NRTF scheme is not the only way to tour rurally, but I came away wondering what could be learned from a sector that puts the audience rather than the artist at the centre of its activity, talks about the arts in an accessible way and which thinks very hard about what is presented, where and how... Keep reading on The Guardian