22 May 2026
Welcome to Friday Feature – our top picks of weekend events (and beyond) that showcase the very best in rural and small-scale touring.
This week: Stepdance in Scotland, an interactive science demo with a difference, a folk duo in village hall action and a little further down the line – pub poetry with Luke Wright in Dorset.
Many of these shows are on rural tours – so check out your local scheme to see if they are appearing at a village hall near you. If you are interested in having your show featured drop deets to Dickie: press@nrtd.org.uk
NRTF spotlights hip happenings along B-road Britain
Will Finn & Rosie Calvert
Arts Alive presents Will Finn and Rosie Calvert (pictured above) – an award-winning duo who came together through their love of music. First coming to prominence with their acapella quartet The Teacups, the pair perform traditional and contemporary folk music with vibrancy and flair – intricate harmonies; the rousing instrumentation of piano, steel pan, and ukulele; and joyful, warm stage presence.
Rosie and Will’s music combines influences ranging from old English ballads to gothic Americana, but they are most defined by their spell-binding harmonies.
Saturday 30 May 7.30pm. Bitterly Village Hall, Cleestanton Road, Bitterley, Shropshire, SY8 3HQ. Adults £12 children £6. Tickets HERE.
‘Pub Grub’ – Luke Wright
ArtsReach brings culture to rural pubs this summer. CHEERS!
Luke Wright is back with a sticky-floored celebration of the ordinary. The acclaimed poet conjures up a world of Tuesday lunchtimes and small town boozers in poems that burst with inventive language.
Wright’s poems are full of audacious rhymes, insane sonic trickery, and big-hearted storytelling that’ll leave you feeling a little lightheaded. Expect loads of laughs, a few more coins in the swear jar, and a sore head in the morning.
Pub Grub with Luke Wright: Monday 15 Jun, 7pm at The Red Lion Inn, Sturminster, Marshall, Wimborne, TICKETS HERE.
Pub Grub with Luke Wright: Wednesday 8 July, 8pm at The Gaggle of Geese, Locketts Lane, Buckland Newton, DT2 7BS. TICKETS HERE.
So Unfair
Arts Alive presents So Unfair – an interactive science demo – with a twist!
Help Daniel Bye change the world, in an unexpectedly ridiculous adventure involving engineering challenges, bad dad jokes, and an extraordinary quantity of molten chocolate. A brand new show for 7-10 year olds and their grown-ups. Featuring engineers from across the UK Zooming in to help you save the day!
So Unfair: Friday 29 May, The Hub, Newport, Shropshire. Tickets HERE.
So Unfair: Saturday 30 May, SpArC Theatre, Bishops Castle, Shropshire. Tickets HERE.
Deiseil: Dancing in Time
North East Arts Touring presents a powerful exploration of how stepdance, Scotland’s percussive dance, was lost… and how its revival became woven into a lifelong friendship.
Experience a compelling journey across centuries of tradition told through fiddle, feet, Gaelic song and story, in an immersive performance which draws you in to the heart of our heritage.
Deiseil means “ready” in Scottish Gaelic : be ready for a mesmerising reflection on how issues of culture, identity and connection still resonate through society today. Ground-breaking new work from award-winning director Gerry Mulgrew (six Fringe Firsts), dancer Alison Carlyle and musician Amy Geddes.
Deiseil: Dancing in Time: this Saturday 23 May, 7:30 pm
Garmouth & Kingston Village Hall, Garmouth, north east Scotland. Tickets HERE.