1996

National Conference of Rural Touring Schemes

1997

National Rural Touring Forum registered with the Charity Commission

FUNDING – Funding – A successful bid to the Arts Council A4E funding programme for £500,000. This grant supported a three-year programme of project delivery through the partner members at a local level as well as organisational development for the sector as a whole.


1999

CONFERENCE – in partnership with Highlights North

2000

PUBLICATION -The Promoters Don’t Panic Pack – a guide for local promoters subsequently used for a similar publication in Scotland

CONFERENCE – in partnership with Rural Arts North Yorkshire

2001

A commissioned tour by the NRTF of Kala Sangam Rural Voices, a combination of South Asian music, dance and literature, funded by the Arts Council of England National Touring Programme for £38,430. NRTF identified a gap in programming and this piece toured nationally on a 21 date tour.

FUNDING – Regional Arts Lottery Programme award of £77,050 for organisational development.

CONFERENCE – in partnership with Oxfordshire rural touring network


2002 – 2005

FUNDING – A successful bid to the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation for £95,000 for ‘Rural Connections’, a 3-year programme of 17 different projects run by member schemes. This grant levered a further £125,000 from other sources for projects.

2003

CONFERENCE – in partnership with the South West touring schemes, Take Art, Village Voice, Artsreach, Villages in Action

2003

PROJECT & FUNDING – NRTF commissioned Francois Matarasso to research and write about the social impact of rural touring, raising funding of £84,000 from Carnegie Trust, Countryside Agency and others. This resulted in ‘Only Connect’, the first attempt to document rural touring.

PUBLICATION – The Touring Scheme Toolkit – a step by step guide to creating and developing rural touring schemes (author Richard King, published by Arts Council of England)

PUBLICATION – An audience research project by South West Arts Marketing and the National Rural Touring Forum

PUBLICATION – Only Connect (author Francois Matarasso, published by Comedia) – the first large scale study of rural touring

CONFERENCE – in partnership with Lancashire rural touring network


2004

FUNDING – NRTF became a Regularly Funded Organisation (RFO) of Arts Council England.

FUNDING – NRTF received £10,000 of ACE managed funds to work towards increasing the availability of culturally diverse work on the rural touring network.

CONFERENCE – in partnership with Rural Arts Wiltshire

PARTNERSHIP – Member of the Arts Council of England ‘Economic Impact Study of UK Theatre’ steering group


2005 – 2008

FUNDING – A second successful bid to the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation for £100,000 for a further 3 year-round of projects run by members. Projects attracted an additional £200,000 from other sources.

2005

CONFERENCE – in partnership with West Midlands Touring schemes Black Country Touring, Arts Alive and Live and Local. The conference theme – Diversity

PARTNERSHIP – ‘Country Dancing’ – a national symposium on dance and rural areas jointly organised with the National Foundation for Community Dance and Dance South West

PARTNERSHIP – Member of the Arts Council of England ‘Social Impact Study of UK Theatre’ steering group

2005 – 2008

PARTNERSHIP – Member of the rural touring and cultural diversity initiative


2006

FUNDING – NRTF funded as part of Arts Council England, Yorkshire (£3,000) initiative to encourage international development through IETM.

CONFERENCE – in partnership with Creative Arts East. The conference theme – Engaging with the wider community


2007

FUNDING – NRTF awarded funding of £40,000 towards a programme of CPD and international work.

CONFERENCE – in partnership with Arts in Rural Gloucestershire and the Theatre Production Office. The conference theme – Theatre and the rural community

2007 – 2008

FUNDING – NRTF awarded £79,656 from ACE towards International Village of Culture

2008

PUBLICATION – Eyes Wide Open – a practical guide to rural touring for companies and performers

CONFERENCE – National Networking meeting Birmingham – Theme IVOC planning


2009

PROJECT & FUNDING – NRTF organised International Village of Culture (IVOC) as a counterpoint to the idea of Liverpool European Capital of Culture which attracted funding from Culture 10 of £159,000. This comprised of collaborative creative commissions, an international showcase and the conference itself. Delegates came from the UK, France, Sweden, Estonia, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Holland, Finland, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa.

FUNDING – NRTF awarded £10,000 from ACE, Yorkshire towards IVOC legacy which resulted in a tour of Baltic artists throughout the rural areas of the UK.

FUNDING – NRTF awarded £10,000 from ACE for A night less ordinary project

CONFERENCE –in partnership with the Northern Consortium of touring schemes, Culture 10 and Arts Council England. Conference theme IVOC International Village of Culture and Showcase festival


Photography credit: Sharon Hughes Photography

2010

FUNDING – NRTF awarded £10,000 from ACW towards the costs of the 2011 conference

CONFERENCE – in partnership with Decibel and Arts Council England. National networking day Manchester

PARTNERSHIP – Founder member of IVOC – an informal network of international partners aimed at linking rural communities (internationally) through live arts and culture


2011

FUNDING – NRTF becomes a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England

PARTNERSHIP – NRTF works in partnership with Jazz Services to support their Rural Touring Project

CONFERENCE – in partnership with Essex on Tour. The conference theme – New Networks


2012

NRTF successfully applies with Contact Theatre to the National Strategic Touring fund

CONFERENCE – in partnership with Arts Council Wales. The conference theme – Hard to reach communities2012 – New Directions Showcase Festival in partnership with China Plate and Warwick Art Centre

EVENTS – Edinburgh Fringe Village Hall sessions


2013

FUNDING – NRTF awarded £25,000 from Creative Scotland towards the cost of the 2013 Conference held in Stirling.2015 NRTF successfully applies to Arts Council England for the second round of NPO funding. Taking the organisation through until 2018.

CONFERENCE – Developing Networks Conference in partnership with North East Arts Touring, Promoters Arts Network, Federation of Scottish Theatres and Creative Scotland

NRTF support the North West schemes pitching & mentoring project with PANDA. Mentoring project supported The Edge attendance at the annual conference in Stirling and in 2014 Chanje Kunda has been selected to showcase at New Directions in York.

EVENTS – Edinburgh Fringe Village Hall sessions


2014

CONFERENCE – New Directions Showcase Festival in partnership with China Plate and York Theatre Royal 15 – 17 July

PARTNERSHIP – present member of the Arts Council England Rural Stakeholders Group

EVENTS – Edinburgh Fringe Village Hall sessions

PARTNERSHIP – support the North West schemes’ pitching 4 mentoring projects and its work with PANDA and Chanje Kunda was selected to showcase at New Directions in York.

PROJECT – NRTF is worked with the Audience Agency to develop a project that informs touring schemes of their audience profile.


Photography credit: Sharon Hughes Photography

2015

FUNDING – NRTF successfully applies to Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring Funds for a 3-year Rural Touring Dance Initiative (RTDI)

CONFERENCE – in partnership with Creative Arts East and Applause Rural Touring Scheme. “Rural Touring is great at audience engagement!” 14 to 16 July at Wymondham College, Norfolk.

EVENTS – Edinburgh Fringe Village Hall sessions

PROJECT – NRTF worked with touring schemes in the North and RASA theatre to produce and tour a new piece of work States of Verbal Undress.


2016

FUNDING & RESEARCH – NRTF & Coventry University, in partnership, successfully applied to Arts Council England Research Grants Programme of £156,202

EVENTS – Edinburgh & Brighton Fringe Village Hall sessions

CONFERENCE – New Directions Falmouth Cornwall in partnership with Carn to Cove (Cornwall) and China Plate (producers) to host New Directions showcase and rural touring conference. New Directions took place from 5th to 7th July 2015 at the University of Falmouth, Cornwall.

PARTNERSHIP – Contact and NRTF working together to deliver touring productions into rural areas of England, Scotland and Wales as part of Arts Council England’ s’ Strategic Touring Programme.


2017

EVENTS – Edinburgh & Brighton Fringe Village Hall sessions

FUNDING & EVENTS – Awarded £2300 by Cause 4 Arts and PhilanthropyFundraising Training towards Fundraising Fundamentals workshops at conference Being Bold

CONFERENCE – Being Bold Conference in partnership with Northamptonshire Rural Touring Arts and New Perspectives Theatre Company, the 2017 conference took place at NottinghamshireUniversity and the Lakeside Theatre

EVENTS – The first Rural Touring Awards with 6 categories

FUNDING – NRTF was successful in achieving Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) status during 2017 and will commence a new 4-year funding relationship with Arts Council England &om April 1, 2018, to March 31 2022


2018

PARTNERSHIP – NRTF partnered with Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) on the very first Village Halls Week in January, co-commissioning Ian McMillan to write a poem to celebrate the week

RECRUITMENT – A new permanently employed Director was appointed in Spring. Holly Lombardo began her role as Director.

EVENTS – Edinburgh & Brighton Fringe Village Hall sessions

CONFERENCE – New Directions. Working in partnership with Live & Local and China Plate, NRTF presented the showcase at Worcester University.

EVENTS – Rural Touring Awards with 6 categories


2019

RESEARCH – CONCERTA research project in partnership with Coventry concluded

EVENTS – Village halls Week. NRTF partnered with Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) on the second ever VHW. NRTF commissioned Kate Fox Stand Up Poet to write a poem

EVENTS – Edinburgh & Brighton Fringe Village Hall sessions

EVENTS – Rural Touring Awards with 6 categories

CONFERENCE – In partnership with Bangor University, Wales


2020

 

 


2021

 

 


2022