The Australian National Touring Charter aims to create a principles-driven framework that supports the performing arts touring sector in Australia. It is committed to creating meaningful connections between artists, communities, and audiences through socially, financially, and environmentally responsible practices. The charter acknowledges the complexity of touring and the various approaches to presenting work to audiences. It can take many forms, such as commissions, remounts, or tours designed to create a unique performance experience within each community visited.
The Charter represents the standard expectations and considerations for participating in touring activity, ensuring high-quality touring outcomes that make performing arts experiences accessible to audiences and communities across Australia. It articulates standards and defines responsibilities between all parties involved to ensure fair, transparent, efficient, and mutually beneficial touring practices.
It also provides a framework of obligations and expectations throughout all stages of tour development and delivery, allowing parties to achieve their individual and agreed shared outcomes.
National and state touring is supported by various funding programs delivered by all levels of government, and the cost of presenting the touring work is also often subsidised by the presenter. The Charter provides confidence to funding partners when granting public and private contributions to touring activities.
Australian National Touring Charter PDF
Australian National Touring Charter Word Document
Who is the National Touring Charter for?
Whilst the principles that guide this Charter can be universally applied to various types of touring, this document is primarily designed to guide the actions of parties involved in the touring of live performing arts to professionally managed theatres and cultural centres in Australia. These tours are often subsidised through government funding programs to create, present and tour live performance work, and through the investment of presenters to bring a work to their community.
The stakeholders involved in this form of touring generally include:
Presenters
Presenters are responsible for hosting the performance, event, or activity for their local community. They may manage a performing arts centre, present a festival, or run other types of spaces and programs. In a touring context, presenters are typically responsible for programming subsidised and/or commercial productions.
Producers
Those individuals or organisations who manage performing arts productions on behalf of artists and creative teams. In many instances, producers may take on tour coordination responsibilities as per below.
Artists
Performing arts organisations, individuals, groups, and teams responsible for the creation of performing art works. This extends beyond the touring party to performers, writers, designers, directors, dramaturgs, choreographers, composers, production/technical staff, and more.
Tour Coordinators
Individuals and organisations responsible for brokering and negotiating opportunities between presenters and producers, including contracting, grant applications and administration, planning logistics, managing touring parties, and completing post-tour reporting requirements.
Funding Bodies
Federal, state, and local government agencies and philanthropic organisations who manage funding programs which support the presentation and touring of performing arts productions.
Author
The Australian National Touring Charter has been written by PAC Australia following consultation with the Touring Advisory Group.
Additional input was provided by:
- Live Performance Australia
- State Presenter Associations
- BlakDance
- Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company
- Australia Council for the Arts
- Theatre Network Australia
- Elliott Bledsoe, Agentry
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