Abigail Reeve becomes Director of National Rural Touring Forum

Abigail brings over 25 years of experience across dance, commercial sectors and membership organisations, having initially trained and performed as a professional dancer and teacher.

She takes up the role at NRTF in January 2026.

Abigail said: “I am delighted to be joining the team at National Rural Touring Forum supporting the organisation and its members, as we continue to shine a light on the vital importance of rural touring as part of the arts ecology.

“I am looking forward to working with our funders, partners and members to craft countless exciting developments for rural communities through amazing cultural experiences.”

Jo Purseglove, NRTF Interim Head of Operations said: “Abi joins at an exciting time as NRTF celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026. The whole team is looking forward to welcoming Abi to the role and what her wealth of experience and fresh ideas will bring to the next chapter of NRTF and rural touring sector.”

Matthew Linley, Chair of NRTF, said: “I and the board are absolutely delighted to welcome Abigail Reeve as the new Director of the National Rural Touring Forum.

“Her expertise will be invaluable as we continue to champion our schemes, promoters and artists, ensuring that access to high-quality, live performance remains a vibrant reality for rural communities across the UK. We are incredibly excited to start this next chapter under her leadership.”

Abigail has extensive experience in the arts. After retiring from performing she worked at a variety of companies spanning both commercial and charitable settings including General Manager for Stopgap Dance Company where she remains a trustee, Dance Relationship Manager for Arts Council England for the Midlands, Executive Producer of Birmingham Royal Ballet and CEO of membership and examinations awarding body Rambert Grades.

During her time at Rambert Grades she led the global expansion of the company into an internationally recognised benchmark in contemporary dance education, tripling examination numbers and adding a variety of new work to the programme including from Matthew Bourne and ZooNation.

As Executive Producer at Birmingham Royal Ballet, she led on the development of new and commissioned work for the company, including the critically acclaimed work – Black Sabbath the Ballet and led the innovative Ballet Now programme, focussing on developing the next tranche of makers for the large-scale international ballet sector.