Rural Touring

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What is Rural Touring?

We believe people living outside cities and large towns should have access to the best live arts experiences at an affordable price. That's why we started the Take Art Rural Touring scheme, which has been successfully serving the villages, towns and communities of Somerset since 1987.

The Rural Touring service is a very well-established and successful scheme for Somerset with an exemplary track record, set up to bring professional, high quality music, theatre, dance and performance to local venues and communities across Somerset.

It relies on the partnership between local volunteer promoters and Take Art - by working together, memorable social events are organised in rural areas where people live and meet. These events can help play a vital role in keeping villages alive and vibrant, strengthening communities and improving health and wellbeing. The Take Art Rural Touring team have years of expertise to share with promoters.

Rural touring is about more than just performances, it plays an important part in the social life of small communities, it involves people of all ages and backgrounds, it can be a catalyst for community development

Only Connect Report by Francois Matarasso
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The Take Art Effect

Take Art has been busy. Between 1987-2023 we have:

  • Put on over 3200 performances in 260 villages
  • Worked with over 6000 volunteers, helping communities put on performances in their village halls
  • Paid 3250 artists and theatre companies over 1 million pounds to bring and make work in Somerset
  • Our audiences numbers run to over 200,000 people, mainly from rural communities


Where and when are the shows and how do I see them?

You can book tickets via our What's On page online or by calling the local promoter. It is advisable to call direct to check ticket prices and get info about refreshments, access, disabled parking facilities etc. Many halls run a bar, sell refreshments, or even offer a meal at the event but you may wish to check in advance. Whatever the arrangements, you will be guaranteed a warm welcome, a friendly atmosphere and a memorable experience.

You can opt to receive emails about upcoming shows via our mailing list.

Related Projects

  • ProjectCircus Around & About

    We took extraordinary, family friendly circus to village communities across the South West in the summer of 2021.

    More info
  • ProjectRural Touring Dance Initiative

    The Rural Touring Dance Initiative (RTDI) brings exciting and innovative dance theatre and dance performance to rural locations, using the established rural touring schemes to help make this happen successfully. 2015 - present.

    More info
  • ProjectCrossing Borders: A European Rural Touring Project

    Crossing Borders: A European Rural Touring Project has been selected to participate in the EU-funded project, Perform Europe in 2022.

    More info

    • Rural Touring News