“Such a warm, generous and down to earth environment which really paved the way for openness, active listening and connection.” – 2023 Participant

Want to learn more about touring? Arts on Tour presents a jam-packed full-day workshop each year that introduces the essentials to getting a show on the road.

Tour Lab 2024 was held on Thursday 10 October at East Sydney Community & Arts Centre (ESCAC), Darlinghurst. Sign up to our mailing list to be the first to know about the 2025 Event.

Tour Lab provides practical advice, information and resources, as well as networking opportunities for independent artists, producers, and companies who are new to touring or want to learn what it takes to get a show on the road.

Each year, the program includes venue managers, experienced independent touring artists and the Arts on Tour team to answer your questions. We cover a range of topics including: selling your production to venue managers, budgeting your tour, grants and more.

The event is followed by drinks and an opportunity to continue the conversations started during the day.

“All the sessions were as I hoped; relevant, incredibly informative, practical and enjoyable. They have provided me with the tools I need to move towards organising a successful tour in the near future.” – 2023 Participant

Banner Photo Credit: Clare Hawley

2024 Program

Session One: Creating a Financially Viable Tour

Sara Richardson (AOT), Peter Ross (Entertainment Venues Tamworth)

What does it cost to tour a show? Where does the money come from? Sara Richardson and Peter Ross follow the money and unpack budgeting from the perspective of the producer and presenter.

Session Two: Selling to a Venue / Finding an Audience

Victor Kalka (AOT), Jordan Best (The Q/Echo Theatre), Linda Christof (Dubbo Regional Theatre & Convention Centre), Hayden Tonazzi (ATYP)

Audiences are not just bums on seats. Who is your audience, and what do you have to offer them? Knowing this will help you find the right home for your work.

Session Three: Building an Itinerary

Patrick Howard (AOT), Emma Khamis (Monkey Baa)

Tracking conversations, juggling dates, getting to the next town: a lot goes into building an itinerary. Patrick Howard and Emma Khamis give the good oil and share the processes and spreadsheets they use to get a tour on the road.

Session Four: Best Practices

Antonia Seymour (AOT), Liz Martin (Accessible Arts), Ren Kenward (Belvoir), Dani Ironside (Bell Shakespeare)

Accessibility, Sustainability, Well Being: putting best practice into practice. They will share case studies and resources to help you build these into your touring from the outset.

Session Five: Tales from the Road

Jo Bloom (Come You Spirits), Joshua Thomson (Legs On The Wall), Josipa Draisma (In Wild Company)

From performing site specific Shakespeare around the country to suspending a block of ice above the Thames, hear from touring artists about their work and the unique experiences that can only happen when you hit the road. 

TOUR LAB+ ONLINE SERIES

Still got questions after Tour Lab? Delve deeper with members of the AOT team in three sessions of the essentials: Budgeting, Marketing, and Itinerary Building. These sessions will have a limited capacity of 15 to allow for personalised feedback on participants’ working documents. 

The best part? If you’ve booked a ticket to the in-person Tour Lab on Thursday 10 October, you can attend these sessions for FREE. Simply enter the promo code that you received with your Tour Lab ticket.

Session 1: Budgeting
Monday 21 October, 6-7pm AEDT
Tickets: $15 per session; FREE with Tour Lab registration
BOOK HERE

Session 2: Marketing
Monday 28 October, 6-7pm AEDT
Tickets: $15 per session; FREE with Tour Lab registration
BOOK HERE

Session 3: Itinerary Building
Monday 4 November, 6-7pm AEDT
Tickets: $15 per session; FREE with Tour Lab registration
BOOK HERE

Photographer Credit: Clare Hawley