Alliance to ‘protect and strengthen’ local theatres launches

A new initiative designed to strengthen the position of theatres in towns and smaller cities across the UK has launched.

The Local Theatre Touring Alliance (LTTA) has been created for theatres, producers, policymakers and funders in an effort to tackle “rising costs, skills shortages, ageing infrastructure, and a shrinking pool of high-quality touring productions”.

The alliance is not a membership body, but instead describes itself as a “shared effort built on trust, transparency, collaboration, and respect”.

Supporters can sign up to the alliance at no cost on its website.

To mark its launch, LTTA is inviting venue managers to take part in a national online survey in order to build “a clear, data-driven picture of the sector’s needs and to identify practical solutions that can be scaled and shared”.



Katie Town, executive director of Theatre Royal Wakefield, said: “Mid-scale venues are facing unprecedented challenges, but there is also huge potential if we work collaboratively.

“The survey is a critical first step in gathering the honest insights we need to develop new touring models and advocacy strategies that genuinely work for our towns and smaller cities.”



Adam Knight, chief executive of Blackpool Grand Theatre, added: “The Local Theatre Touring Alliance is about bringing people together to protect and strengthen local theatre for future generations.

“Listening to venue managers, who know these challenges first-hand, is a crucial starting point.”