Arts Out West - West Cumbria Rural Touring Scheme
Rural Touring Schemes bring top quality professional
entertainment to village halls. They have been operating in
different areas of the country since the 1980s, and there are now
over thirty throughout the UK affiliated to the National Rural
Touring Forum.
The West Cumbria scheme (now re-named Arts Out West) dates from
1999 when a handful of halls volunteered to get involved. In the
2006/7 season, more than fifty public performances have taken place
in twenty halls across Allerdale and Copeland, from Kirksanton in
the south to Kirkbampton in the north. Arts Out West has
expanded in 2007 to include Embleton and Brigham village halls,
bringing the total number of venues in Allerdale to ten. Arts Out
West have also programmed performances and residencies in
twenty
schools, plus workshops for all ages.
Halls choose their shows from a menu of acts prepared by the
co-ordinator, including music, drama, dance, comedy, travel talks,
and puppets and children's shows. The village hall
committee promotes the show in their local community, and on the
night looks after the artists and the audience. Several halls,
having gained confidence by promoting shows on the scheme, are now
booking their own acts independently of Arts Out West.
Arts Out West is a partnership project of Allerdale and Copeland
Borough Councils, with support from Cumbria County Council, the
Arts Council and Cumbria Arts in Education. To find out more about
the scheme, contact the Arts Out West co-ordinator:
Bob Pritchard
Arts Out West
c/o Copeland Borough Council
Whitehaven Commercial Park
Moresby Parks
Whitehaven
Cumbria
CA28 8YD
Telephone: 01946 852637
bob.pritchard@copeland.gov.uk
Allerdale Borough Council
