Arts on Tour’s overarching purpose is to bring culturally distinctive and resonant arts experiences to regional and remote towns across Australia, and maximise the lasting impact of this activity for communities and audiences, artists and the sector.

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PRIORITY AREAS

Our aim is for AOT’s touring activity to play a key role in culturally activating and strengthening communities, developing artists and audiences and contributing to a sustainable sector, and building a culturally distinctive and integrated national arts landscape. By working closely with our presenter and producer partners and collaboratively across the sector as a whole, our vision is for every community in Australia to have a creative pulse, made stronger by the arts experiences we bring.

A VIBRANT NATIONAL ARTS LANDSCAPE

Seek out culturally distinctive productions with regional and national resonance
Facilitate relationship-building between producers and presenters
Provide producers and presenters with best practice tour development and tour delivery

INSPIRING INDIVIDUALS, INVIGORATING COMMUNITIES

Reach more audiences with professional work to play a role in culturally activating communities
Partner with presenters to develop initiatives that extend the lasting impact of touring activity

DEVELOPING ARTISTS AND BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE SECTOR

Build the touring capacity of artists, companies and producers at all levels and across genres
Advocate for a thriving touring sector and a sustainable, integrated performing arts sector

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WHY?

As an organisation, we are driven by the knowledge that the impact of arts experiences on individuals and communities in regional areas is amplified. Beyond the city, arts experiences are potentially even more powerful in fostering creativity, engendering a sense of belonging, galvanising communities around social and cultural issues and empowering individuals to imagine bold futures.

Touring a diverse range of works, made both regionally and in our cities, contributes to the richness and liveability of regional centres – with significant cultural, social, economic and health benefits.

For artists and the performing arts sector, touring provides the invaluable opportunity of connecting to audiences far and wide, to an exchange of ideas and creativity, and to contributing to a rich and integrated performing arts landscape across Australia.

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History

Arts on Tour is a critical resource and national leader in touring in Australia

Founded in 1991, Arts on Tour was established out of an identified need for a tour coordinating organisation to ensure performing arts activity was accessible to regional audiences in NSW, and not just centred on major cities and towns.

Early touring activity included the Ensemble Theatre, Aboriginal and Islander Dance Theatre, The Warumpi Band and Sydney Theatre Company, as well as companies we continue to work with today - the Flying Fruit Fly Circus, Belvoir Theatre and The Song Company. Two years after its inception AOT coordinated 8 tours in a year to over 40 towns, reaching over 30,000 people.

Over the last 10 years AOT has increased its focus on NSW-based artists and increased its program of activity, with an average output of 10 national tours each year to 170 towns across Australia, reaching over 70,000 people. Arts on Tour is a multi-award winner of APACA's Tour of the Year Drover Award, and AOT productions have been frequent winners of the Helpmann Award for Best Regional Touring Production.