XTRAX on Tour (2015)

Our smaller, succinct programme of seminars and discussions that took place in the context of some of the best UK festivals

 

Events were held at the following festivals:

XTRAX on Tour at Dancing City

Topic: Outdoor Dance Productions and Touring

Artists, programmers, producers, and others working within outdoor arts were invited to join us at the very first XTRAX on Tour event.

The Dancing City event included speakers with real expertise in the creation, touring and presentation of outdoor dance.
The event took place in the morning before the Dancing City programme starts, offering a great opportunity to meet colleagues, make new contacts and share best practice, all before heading off to enjoy outdoor shows by a range of UK and international companies.

XTRAX organised an informal information-sharing session where it invited speakers discussed the different aspects of Outdoor Dance Productions and Touring. This was followed by a panel discussion exploring opportunities and challenges for artists creating outdoor dance works, and considerations for promoters to consider when programming street art performances.

Speakers:

  • Adam Towndrow, Executive Director and Producer of C-12 Dance Theatre Company
  • Stephen Munn, Director of Déda
  • Sarah Trist, Director of Sarah Trist Dance Managment Agency
  • The session was chaired by Sarah Allen, Independent Producer and freelance commissioner.

 

 Stockton International Riverside Festival

Topic: Theatre Tax Relief & Pricing

‘Show me the money!’ was the second seminar in our XTRAX on Tour series and included speakers with real expertise in the pricing of outdoor work.

We invited three speakers, each of who hold real expertise and experience in the street arts sector, either as producers or artists. In this seminar, our speakers talked about financial issues affecting street artists and outdoor arts companies, their experiences of pricing work for touring and the best way to manage a budget whilst on the road. We also touched upon the new Theatre Tax Relief and how this might be relevant for street arts companies.

This was followed by a panel discussion exploring the consideration artists should take when pricing their work. The event will take place in the morning before the festival programme starts, offering a great opportunity to meet colleagues, make new contacts and share best practice, all before heading off to enjoy outdoor shows by a range of UK and international companies.

Speakers:

 

Appetite (The Big Feast)

Topic: An Introduction to Creating, Promoting and Touring Outdoor work in the UK and Europe

The third seminar in our XTRAX on Tour series was: An Introduction to Creating, Promoting and Touring Outdoor work in the UK and Europe.

XTRAX and Appetite developed a session aimed at artists and producers wanting to create and tour work in the outdoor sector. This session was suitable for those who are new to this area of work as well as those who are already working in outdoor arts.

The session included:
• An introduction for artists on presenting work in outdoor settings
• How to market and sell your work. How to find and approach promoters
• Practical information that artists, producers and presenters need to know about working in an outdoor setting
• Information about touring opportunities in the UK and internationally

 

Speakers:

 

Out there Festival Great Yarmouth

GROW: International Symposium on Circus and Street Arts, organised by Seachange Arts and Circus Futures in partnership with Contact Zones, XTRAX and ISACS.

XTRAX’s final On Tour event was held in Great Yarmouth as part of Seachange Arts’ GROW Symposium

Seachange Arts and Circus Futures in partnership with Contact Zones, XTRAX and ISACS, hosted their second annual major circus and street arts symposium as part of the 2015 Out There Festival.  XTRAX led a breakout session ‘How to get ready for international touring’ – A practical session for artists; where artists and producers share their experiences on how to plan a tour and how to get the most from the touring experience.

Panellists were:

  • Jeni Bernard, Artistic Director of Acrojou
  • Emma Forster, Executive Director of Mimbre
  • Tanja Ruiter, Co-Director of HH Producties

The session was facilitated by Maggie Clarke, Director of XTRAX 

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