SPARSE Plus is an international project working to bring high-quality live performance to rural communities across Europe. Building on the success of the original SPARSE project (2018–2021), it continues a shared mission: making the arts more accessible, strengthening communities, and championing cultural equality.
SPARSE began in 2018 as a Creative Europe-funded partnership led by Take Art, bringing together five organisations to explore how rural touring could work across different European countries.
SPARSE Plus (2023–2027) takes this work further. The partnership has grown to include 11 organisations across Europe, all working together to develop and expand rural touring networks in their own regions. These companies are: Associazione Marchigiana Attività Teatrali (Marche, Italy) as Coordinator with partners; SAEesti Tantsuagentuur (Estonia), Artists Group Fish Eye (Western Lithuania),Shoshin Theatre (Transylvania, Romania), SINUM (Hungary), Nova Sit (CzechRepublic), Teatro 4Garoupas (Germany), Art Fraction Foundation (Poland)and Fondazione Toscana Spettacolo(Tuscany, Italy).
While the UK’s departure from the EU means Take Art can no longer receive direct European funding, we remain closely involved—providing advocacy, research, and evaluation support through our partners.
At its heart, SPARSE Plus is about access and fairness. Across Europe, people living in rural areas often have fewer opportunities to experience high-quality live performance than those in cities. This project is helping to change that by supporting local promoters, artists, and communities to bring performances to places where they’re most needed.
As the project enters its final year, several important developments are shaping its impact and future. In October 2025, partners gathered in Prague for an international symposium exploring rural touring. Cultural thinkers François Matarasso and Justin O’Connor led discussions on the role of the arts in today’s world. François spoke about how the arts remain vital during times of global uncertainty, highlighting the importance of co-creation—where artists and communities collaborate for mutual benefit. (Find out more about his work here). Justin drew on ideas from his recent book Culture Is Not an Industry (2024), arguing that the arts should be valued as a fundamental public good, alongside health and education, rather than purely for their economic impact.
A panel discussion also looked ahead to the future of rural arts in Europe as new funding opportunities emerge.
We are about to publish new research into how the arts are publicly funded in rural areas across Europe, carried out by Chloe Sustainability. This report, launching in April 2026, will provide valuable insights into how rural cultural activity can be better supported. The recording of their presentation can be found here.
The partnership is also preparing a new application to Creative Europe, aiming to expand into new countries including Austria, Croatia, Latvia, Portugal, and Spain. At the same time, a new SPARSE Network is being developed—creating a long-term platform to support rural touring and strengthen connections across Europe.
Take Art has been at the forefront of rural touring in the UK for many years, so this project is a natural fit for us.
Being part of SPARSE Plus allows us to:
At a time when the world can feel increasingly divided, working with like-minded organisations across Europe is more important than ever. These relationships not only strengthen the project—they strengthen us as an organisation.
As SPARSE Plus moves towards its final round of tours in 2026, plans are underway for a celebratory event in Budapest, Hungary in September.
But this is not the end.
The ambition is to build a lasting European movement for rural touring—one that continues to grow, reach new communities, and ensure that wherever people live, they have access to inspiring, high-quality artistic experiences.
