Arts Council England announces major investment in UK touring productions

A number of major stage productions are having their UK tours supported by new investment announced today by Arts Council England.

Fiddler on the Roof, Dear England, and a new staging of Top Hat are among eight shows receiving support through the Arts Council’s pilot Incentivising Touring scheme.

The scheme has provided over £2 million in repayable grants to help producers bring large-scale theatre and dance to audiences in all nine English regions, as well as the UK nations and some international destinations. It is expected that around one million people will attend performances across 55 venues, with 90 per cent of the English population living within an hour’s drive of at least one location on the various tours.

James Graham, write of Dear England, said: “Dear England is about the national game and my greatest passion was always to share it across the whole national stage. I’m incredibly grateful that the show has been included in this new scheme and think it’s great that the Arts Council England have recognised the challenge and responded to the need to support touring large-scale work. I would have never become a playwright had it not been for the world class work that toured to my local theatres.”

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This is the first time the Arts Council has offered repayable grants for touring productions. The aim is to reduce financial risk for producers and encourage investment in high-quality work outside of major cities, offering a new model for supporting large-scale productions with commercial potential.

Other producers awarded grants include Rambert, Eleanor Lloyd Productions, Wise Children, David Pugh Limited, and Melting Pot, who will reveal their touring titles in due course.

The Incentivising Touring scheme was developed with industry consultation and launched in November 2024. It aims to attract further investment, increase programming options for venues, and offer more sustainable touring models. A second round of the scheme will open in July 2025.

Alongside the funding, the Arts Council has commissioned a comprehensive study into the touring sector. The research will analyse the current landscape of theatre, dance, music and combined arts touring in the UK and is set to be published later this year.