An biennial showcase of contemporary performance for rural touring

New Directions

A 3 day programme, showcasing a range of entertaining, surprising and stimulating performance.

#NewDir12#NewDir14#NewDir16#NewDir18

Run time: Varies

Age: Varies

A room of different people standing and chatting.
An image of an audience watching a band on stage, in a dark room, with some lights on the stage.

New Directions

Between 2012 and 2018, China Plate worked closely with the National Rural Touring Forum (NRTF) to explore how to promote the best contemporary theatre and dance to rural audiences. The main vehicle for this was the hugely successful New Directions Showcase, a biennial festival of performance for Rural Touring Schemes and Village Hall Promotors.

Each 3 day festival was programmed by China Plate and showcased “a range of entertaining, surprising and stimulating performance made for the curious and characterised by a spirit of adventure.”

New Directions enabled NRTF touring schemes, venues and voluntary promoters to sample shows, see work, share experiences with other promoters and broaden their knowledge of work available for the rural touring network. The event brought together those involved in managing rural touring networks that, together, organize over 3,000 shows to over 220,000 audience members each year.

2012 | Warwick Arts Centre
2014 | York Theatre Royal
2016 | AMATA, Falmouth
2018 | University of Worcester

Filmmaker – Rachel Bunce

Photo © Imogen Weatherly

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Partnerships

China Plate work with a network of 65+ venues to tour, commission and co-produce work. We are also resident Associate Producers at Warwick Arts Centre - find out more.

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