Artsreach is the rural touring scheme for Dorset
If you are a performing artist, of any genre, looking for a way to tour your work to a passionate audience – look no further!
Before applying to tour with Artsreach we recommend finding out a little more about rural touring and the way in which schemes like ours work by reading the information below and watching our short film.
If you have not been involved with rural touring before, we strongly suggest you also consider becoming a member of the National Rural Touring Forum (NRTF), where you will then have access to lots of resources and information.
The Rural Touring Guide
The Rural Touring Guide is your essential introduction to touring live performance in rural and community settings across the UK. It is packed with expert advice, insider knowledge, and practical steps to help artists, companies, and promoters bring high-quality creative work into village halls, libraries, pubs, schools, and more.
Visit the NRTF website for full artists information about rural touring
Downloads
How do artists get bookings with Artsreach?
- Artsreach recommends companies and artists to its volunteer promoters through an annual 'menu'.
- Published in May, the menu gives details of all productions available for communities to host between October of that year through to the following Easter.
- Our volunteer promoters select the shows they would like to host in their community, and we then liaise with performers and promoters to arrange available dates.
- Our Performance Programme is published three times a year; the autumn programme covers September to December; the spring programme covers January to Easter (varying between March/April) and the summer programme covers April to August.
How does Artsreach select work for its Menu?
Artsreach selects performances through recommendation and research, using information gathered from other touring schemes, our promoters, mainstream venues, showcases, other companies and by investigating unsolicited information sent to us.
We select work from both new and returning companies based locally, regionally, nationally and internationally, to provide a high quality and diverse menu of professional events for promoters to choose from. It is important to us that the productions on offer are appealing to a wide-ranging audience, and are interesting, engaging, entertaining and memorable.
Artsreach welcomes work for consideration from all cultural sectors, and we encourage cultural diversity when offering experiences for our audiences.
Want to Apply to tour with Artsreach?
- Please ensure you have read the Important Information for Artists document.
- Submit your application to us using the Company Information Sheet available to download below, along with copies of relevant insurance documents and examples of marketing materials.
- Applications should be submitted by the end of February.
Please note: because of the amount of unsolicited information we receive about shows, we cannot respond to every application.