- PIONEERING A SUSTAINABLE APPROACH TO TOURING, TALENT DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
- BRINGING NEW VOICES AND LOCAL STORIES TO THE STAGE
- LAUNCHING WITH A BOLD NEW MUSICAL INSPIRED BY EAST ANGLIA’S HERITAGE
- MAJOR ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND NATIONAL LOTTERY TOURING GRANT AWARDED
Seven of East Anglia’s leading theatre and arts organisations have joined forces to launch the East Anglian Touring Consortium. The ambitious collaboration, the first of its kind in the region, will introduce a fresh and innovative approach designed to tackle the challenges of midscale touring and bring high-quality, original theatre made by and for the people of East Anglia to communities across the region and beyond.
The collaboration will see Eastern Angles, HighTide, Landmark Theatres (New Theatre Peterborough), Mercury Theatre Colchester, New Wolsey Theatre, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, and Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds work together to pilot a region-wide sustainable model for midscale touring with a clear focus on new writing, local talent development, skills development and audience development.
Backed by a National Lottery Project Grant from Arts Council England, with significant funding from each of the consortium members, the project is designed to be both financially and environmentally sustainable.
“This is a very exciting moment for theatre in East Anglia,” said Paul Jepson, CEO and Creative Director of Landmark Theatres, on behalf of the consortium. “This collaboration allows us to deliver high-quality, newly commissioned work at scale, reaching under-served rural communities across the region, while also benefiting from the sharing of our combined skills. We’ll be announcing the first production very soon – watch this space.”
Inclusion, Access, and Local Impact
At their core the East Anglia Touring Consortium aims to increase meaningful access and inclusion across diverse, underserved and marginalised communities, particularly those from lower socio-economic backgrounds and rurally isolated areas, their robust audience development strategy will look to increase new audiences and attendance from targeted postcodes whilst also distributing a percentage of tickets to these communities through local networks. Whilst hoping to reach a live audience of over 15,000, the consortium will work with local community partners with the aim to deliver access for an additional 3,000 viewers reached through a digital release designed to serve isolated rural communities.
Investing in Regional Talent and Infrastructure
The project is a strategic investment in East Anglia’s creative economy. At least 50% of the freelance workforce will be drawn from the region and a week-long development period with target audiences will ensure the work is co-created with community input. In addition, the consortium will facilitate peer learning, staff training, and shared knowledge-building across organisations.
A Model for the Future
The touring model will be independently evaluated to shape future strategies and encourage wider adoption across the UK. Whilst strengthening collaboration among East Anglia’s arts organisations it is hoped this pilot will pave the way for more resilient, collaborative approaches to theatre-making nationwide.
The model will also aim to reduce environmental impact by meeting Green Book Intermediate Level standards, lowering tour haulage, and encouraging audience use of sustainable transport options.
A world premiere musical production
The consortium’s debut production will be announced shortly. With early development already underway, the ambitious new original British musical will draw inspiration from East Anglia’s rich cultural history. This collaboration brings together top-tier creatives committed to crafting intelligent, popular narratives with socio-political themes. It is written by Olivier Award-winning writer, composer, and performer Vikki Stone who says: “It is a delight to work with the East Anglia Touring Consortium team to develop this exciting new show. We can’t wait to share the news but can tell you now that you can expect a show that is bold, loud, and joyfully defiant, which celebrates the rich cultural history of the area!”
Lead produced by the New Wolsey Theatre, the production will tour five local venues, with a digital release designed to serve isolated rural communities. Douglas Rintoul, Chief Executive/Artistic Director, says: ‘This is not just about creating one ambitious show. It marks a level of collaboration never before seen in our region. This investment, and the collective ambition behind it, allows us to think bigger than ever for East Anglia – telling epic stories rooted in our people and places, while laying the foundations for a legacy of bold theatre-making for years to come.’”
The show may be under wraps for now but stay tuned for more exciting news from the East Anglia Touring Consortium.