Rural Touring Mentoring Scheme

PANDA, in partnership with Cheshire's Rural Touring Network (CRTN), deliver an annual scheme to offer mentorship to a PANDA company keen to develop their work for rural touring.


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Posted: 28th April 2010

The Rural Touring Mentoring Scheme is one of our longest running and most successful development schemes.

Two Friends Productions were the mentored company for 2009, touring their one woman show Pretty Witty Nell. Read Caroline Harding's report on her experiences as a beneficiary of the scheme: Two Friends Productions' Year as a Rural Touring Mentored Company.


The Scheme

2007 Rural Touring Mentoring Scheme company, Inky Fingers.

Inky Fingers

The scheme provides the mentored company with an understanding of the issues and contexts in which rural touring operates; including advice on marketing, pricing, administration, contracting, press and publicity, licensing, designing for small community spaces, technical considerations, artistic content and liaising with promoters.

The mentored company showcases their work-in-progress at CRTN's annual Promoters Day and attends the National Rural Touring Conference. The scheme culminates with the inclusion of the mentored company's show in the CRTN Autumn Menu for Rural Touring.

New for 2010:

  • Artists and companies will have the opportunity to pitch their idea or performance piece to a group of rural touring promoters to gain feedback in addition to the opportunity to be selected as the mentored artist or company for 2010/11.

  • We are also seeking to link up with other Rural Touring Networks across the UK to work towards more sustainable rural touring for artists and companies.

This excellent scheme is a valuable entry-point for any company wishing to establish themselves on the rural touring network.

The current mentored company is Two Friends Productions who toured their production Pretty Witty Nell as part of the Autumn 2009 Menu for Rural Touring.

Take a look at the past mentored companies that we have supported through the scheme.

PANDA members can also find more information about rural touring from the Info On...Rural Touring fact sheet.

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