Bringing Family Theatre to Villages across Europe

‘Bringing Family Theatre to Villages across Europe’ will share high-quality professional performing arts performances from Poland, Lithuania, and Germany. Performances will reach rural communities in Estonia, Italy, Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Poland, and Lithuania. 

Of the total EU population, 30% live in rural areas; at national and European level, cultural activity in rural areas is fragmented within a poorly supported infrastructure. Rural communities within Europe do not have the same access to contemporary performing arts as their urban counterparts. The Where to Land Report 2022 stated that the primary carbon footprint from events came not from touring artists but from audiences attending shows. Furthermore, the SPARSE project evaluation found that over 50% of the audience lives less than 5km from the venue so it reaches a local, rural audience. 

This project seeks to learn from previous successful cross-border rural touring projects, which are still a very new and challenging concept – involving new partners, selecting new touring shows collaboratively, creating zoned tours that support artist well-being, and reaching rural audiences.