If yes, great! Use this quiz to remind yourself of some of the ins and outs of planning a Rural Tour

If no, our biggest piece of advice is to do your homework. The Rural Touring Guide is a great place to start, and is available for free on our website here.
There is also a whole section of resources for Artists New to Rural Touring which you can explore.

Continue with this quiz to find out some more key questions you’ll need to consider when planning a rural tour.

Intervals are very important to the majority of rural touring venues. This is often their only time to raise any money for the venue (think bar sales and raffles) plus audiences expect a ”full night out”. 

If there isn’t an appropriate place for an interval within your show, consider what else you could offer to fill the evening. An entertaining Q and A with the artists? A related quiz? Whatever it is – make sure you think it out and prepare it fully (does it work in context?). 

If you don’t have an interval, or an after/pre show offer you may find it harder to be programmed by promoters.

This links to having an interval. Rural Touring venues and audiences want a full night out.

Shows that are only an hour-long are a lot harder to sell to rural touring venues. Again think about how you can offer a full night out.

Can you add a structured Q&A with the artists, or create a themed aftershow quiz? Whatever it is, make sure that any add on is as high quality as your show. If you are selling it to venues as part of the package of the show, it shouldn’t be an after thought.

Remember Rural Venues are unlikely to have any technical equipment. So when we say ‘technically self-sufficient’ we mean the works. You will need to bring your own lighting, sound equipment etc. Even plug sockets can be in short supply at our venues!

Anything technical that you need to run the show needs to be on the road with you – including technical staff if they are needed!

When you’re rural touring cast size is important. 

A large cast can signify to a rural venue a large show which throws up some questions. Does it make the show expensive? Will they need to find accommodation for everyone? Will the cast fit in their venue? 

Some venues can only fit 30 – 50 audience members in and they probably don’t have dedicated changing rooms! Also, Rural Touring Promoters often cook meals for artists, and some even offer overnight stays. 

A larger cast is possible, but will mean fewer venues are able to take the work.

When we say rural, we mean rural. Lots of our venues are in places where there is no public transport. If you are going on a rural tour you will be responsible for getting yourself, and any equipment you need to and from rural venues.

And do make sure your vehicle is in good condition, you could be adventuring off the beaten track!

A lot of rural touring venues are in high demand. Whether that’s for an afternoon Zumba Class or a Parish Coffee Morning. This means the timetabling can be tricky! Not only that but most of our promoters are volunteers, so the longer the get in the bigger ask on the volunteers’ time. Other venues are hired by the hour by the Promoters – long get ins can be costly.

Anything over 4 hours can be difficult for rural venues – not impossible (nothing is impossible) but tricky!

We want you to be realistic, paid fairly and correctly, however, rural touring shows do not charge high ticket prices (rarely over £10). They also aren’t in large venues with huge audience numbers so the promoter and schemes cannot afford high price shows. 

When working out the cost for rural touring, make sure you also consider travel and any accommodation needed. This will help you to work out if it is a viable option for your show.

If the production is subsidised then this can help a higher costing show be programmed. It’s best to speak with the individual schemes directly about levels of subsidy and realistic fees.

Unfortunately, most venues don’t provide a rake. More often than not they are on the flat so you need to be aware of sight lines. For instance, if there are 80 seats on the flat then seated audience members at the back will unlikely see below chest height on the performers. If you do floor work consider setting seats up in the round to get more visibility.

It’s also worth checking with any venues you might be programmed into, whether there are any other obstacles that might get in the way of sight lines or alter the capacity of your show.

As we’ve already mentioned Rural Touring venues come in all shapes and sizes, but the majority of them seat less than 100 people. 

The depth of the stage space is often flexible, but the more space you take up, the fewer seats they can fit in and the fewer tickets they can sell.

If your show is on the larger size, just be aware that it narrows down prospective venues.

We never underestimate what our rural audiences want to watch, they love variety and the NRTF support broadening horizons and exposure to new work and genres. When deciding if you want to rurally tour, consider the process of booking and the likelihood of audiences connecting with the piece. 

You may find the sector slightly more risk-averse than city dwellers. Productions are selected by schemes and then shared in a menu to promoters / programmers of rural spaces, some of these promoters will need to go through a committee to get shows selected. 

They programme productions for their local community, neighbours and friends so want to be sure that it will be received well. Something to bear in mind when thinking of rural touring and for your marketing materials.