WIREDGOV

Today we announce over £2 million in repayable grants for eight dance and theatre producers to tour productions for the first time including Fiddler on the Roof (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Dear England (National Theatre Productions and JAS Theatricals) and Top Hat (Kenny Wax Productions and Jonathan Church Theatre Productions). 

Thanks to the pilot Incentivising Touring scheme, the productions will tour all nine English regions, every UK nation, and internationally – to a projected audience of 1 million people across 55 venues – meaning more people in more places will have the opportunity to see high quality, large-scale work, close to where they live, bringing an economic boost to those communities.

Additional producers receiving repayable grants for tour titles still to be announced are:

• Rambert
• Eleanor Lloyd Productions
• Wise Children
• David Pugh Limited
• Melting Pot

Launched in November 2024, the scheme reduces the financial risk on touring productions, gives boards and investors increased confidence and incentive to support tours, helps attract further investment and enables greater programming choice for venues.

Additionally, Arts Council England has commissioned a major study of the touring of theatre, dance, music and combined arts activities to venues presenting work on indoor stages to provide deep insight into the current touring landscape. The findings will be published later this year.

Round 2 of the Incentivising Touring scheme will launch in July 2025.

Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, said: “We want more people to be able to access excellent performances wherever they live. Our new investment means more touring across England and beyond, not only delivering for audiences, but positively benefitting local economies too. We’re continuing to make the case for further investment in the arts, so we can continue to support brilliant, high-impact initiatives like this.”

Hannah Lake, Director of Touring, Arts Council England, said: “We’re thrilled to be announcing the first recipients of this pilot scheme, designed to reduce the risk for producers who wish to tour larger scale work where profitability is expected but not guaranteed. We are already hearing how producers are using the scheme to evolve business models and build resilience for the future. This has been a shared endeavour and I am incredibly grateful to the many who consulted on the scheme, in particular the external working group and external advisors for their advice and unwavering support which has got us to where we are today.”