The Touring Network

The @ruraltouringuk annual conference - Connection - is taking place on 9-11 June in Wolverhampton. This flagship event is a great opportunity to see rural touring showcases, alongside discussions and networking. Touring Network promoter members can apply to the Go See fund to support their attendance. See Stories to find out more about the conference. See link in bio to apply to the Go See fund.

Now's The Time to contribute your views about working in Scotland's jazz scene ✨ Now’s The Time is a development project set up by @creativescots to enable the Scottish jazz sector to work together to create ways to address the challenges it faces, and to play to its strengths. Now’s the Time needs to be fully informed by the widest possible cross section of the jazz community, so please take the time to contribute your views by completing one (or more) of the surveys for: ➡ Musicians ➡ Organisers (inc promoters, labels, journalists) ➡ Educators Deadline is 17 May ⌚ Thank you 🌱 - see Stories for the survey link.

Rural touring volunteers in Scotland - Make your voice heard 📣 A national research project led by @ruraltouringuk and the University of Warwick is exploring the wellbeing and economic impacts of rural and community touring right across the UK. If you’re a volunteer helping bring theatre, music, dance or comedy to your community, this survey is your chance to share your experience. We need to reach 200 promoter responses across the UK for this survey to matter - please lend your voice to help build evidence of the difference rural touring makes to communities and strengthen the case for the sector. Deadline: Friday 8 May Time to complete survey: 10 mins Link to survey in Story 📸 Photo credit slide 3: James Dodd #RuralTouring

‘That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz’ is as good a Shetland-set novel as I’ve read. Totally delighted that Malachy Tallack is coming home to perform the songs from the accompanying album with a mouth-wateringly great live band featuring Laura-Beth Salter, Jenna Reid and Andrew Gifford. They’ll be joined by special guest Cahalen Morrison, who is also opening the show at Mareel on Saturday 6 June. We are hugely grateful to the The Touring Network for helping to fund this show, as well as to Loganair and as always Shetland Arts for their support, and of course Robert Wishart Creative for his splendid design work.

Faces of The Gathering 2026. We are very grateful to @creativescots for supporting this event. 📷 @bethchalmers__

A huge thank you to everyone who came to The Gathering 2026 in Aberfeldy. Over two days we saw superb acts, had fantastic conversations, shared information and experience, and made connections - all while the sun shone quietly in the background ☀. Thanks to @birkscinema and Aberfeldy Town Hall for making us feel so welcome, and to all who contributed in different ways to make the event so special. We’ll share further photos over the next few days. 📷 @bethchalmers__ #RuralIsRadical

We’re so excited about the incredible range of work you’ll experience at The Gathering 2026 - and we can’t wait to welcome these bold, brilliant acts to Aberfeldy including The Fabulous Red Diesel! ✨ Showcase Artis@fabreddiesel ✨ The Fabulous Red Diesel creates a joyful, anything-could-happen, live experience, blended with a magical new sound that feels instantly familiar and completely irresistible. Frontwoman Kat Lee-Ryan draws audiences in with warm, witty chat, making every show feel like time spent with new friends. Backed by an unbelievably tight band, featuring the wonderfully named Rabbi Jaffa Delicious, Miss Bea Have, Ms Kitty, and Duke Boom, the music is playful, inventive, and full of heart. Expect tales of seahorses, kites, summer festivals, windmill girls, inflatable dolls called Ginger, and more! 📍 The Gathering 2026, Aberfeldy 🗓️ 20–21 March 2026

The Gathering 2026 promises an inspiring mix of performances and we’re excited to be hosting such dynamic and distinctive artists in Aberfeldy this March. Audaciously Tenacious Theatre are joining nine other acts to present excerpts from their tour-ready, small-scale work. ✨ Showcase Spotlight: @audaciouslytenacioustheatre ✨ There are three rules… - You can do anything you want. - You can’t leave until they let you. - They are always watching. PERFECT DEAD GIRLS is a bold, haunting new theatre piece fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe. Set in a graffiti-splashed purgatory of glitter, teenage angst, and Y2K pop culture, two young girls find themselves trapped after their sudden deaths, watched by something unseen, and deciding who gets to escape. Told through a fragmented collage of memories, music, and paranoia, this gruesome yet tender show explores girlhood, rivalry, survival, and the systems that push young women to turn on each other. 📍 The Gathering 2026, Aberfeldy 🗓️ 20–21 March 2026

Just two weeks to go until The Gathering 2026 kicks off in Aberfeldy! ⏳ We can’t wait to welcome promoters, performers and creative folk from across the region for two packed days of showcases, wee turns, conversations and connection. Here is one of the ten acts that will be part of The Gathering 2026! ✨ Showcase Artist: Arthur Coates & Kerran Cotterell ✨ Controlled Burn is the electrifying new touring show from folk duo, Arthur Coates & Kerran Cotterell, a high-energy blend of Scottish fiddle fire, English guitar groove, driving foot percussion, and rich vocal harmonies. Built around their upcoming album, the show leans into their bold, rhythmic “Big Bass” sound. Music that feels far bigger than two people should be able to make. Fresh from winning the Robinson Emerging Artist Showcase at Canada’s Goderich Celtic Roots Festival, and following a sell-out-feel rural tour with outstanding audience feedback, Arthur & Kerran are fast becoming one of the most exciting young acts on the folk circuit. 📍 The Gathering 2026, Aberfeldy 🗓️ 20–21 March 2026

Congratulations to @jenwrendance and the team who have put on their first event at @morartspace , a new venue in the Carse of Gowrie, Perthshire. The audience participated in a brilliant night of Cape Breton music and square set dancing from @angusmackenzieceol and @maili_ceit , following a full day of workshops to celebrate Seachdain na Gàidhlig. Many of our members are volunteer promoters, who dedicate much time and effort to putting on high-quality live performances in their communities. Our Programming Pot fund supports them by providing a safety net to book shows or art forms new to their communities, while ensuring performers are fairly paid. Read more from Jen: “The Programming Pot allowed us to open the space to the public for the first time with a marvellous evening of authentic Cape Breton music and dancing - something our community has never had access to before. “The funding allowed us to ensure we had two of the finest Cape Breton musicians, accompanied by close family members, to lead us in the dancing which was taught through the evening. “The audience were elated with the calibre of the event, with requests for more of this kind of activity. “We learned a lot from hosting our first event as volunteer promoters, both in the lead up to and in the running of the evening. “It has taken a long time and a lot of effort to get our new venue to this point. Finally, with The Touring Network’s support, we have put on our first event - an event of quality and most importantly FUN! Thank you. The support of The Touring Network has filled my heart and fuelled my soul a million times.” #RuralIsRadical @slanjayvahdanza @sngaidhlig

Ragged Edge Productions joins The Gathering 2026 as one of ten acts presenting excerpts from their tour-ready, small-scale work. ✨ Showcase Spotlight: @raggededgeproductions ✨ The Mystery of the Pirate Lagoon is a comic radio play performed live on stage, inviting audiences to dive into a swashbuckling adventure full of laughs, sound effects, and sea-shanty spirit. Join the crew of The Prospero as they hunt for hidden treasure and try to outwit the dastardly Captain Starkers. Along the way, audiences get to be part of the action, creating sound effects, joining in with hearty “Aharrrs!”, and even recording cameo moments that appear in the show itself. Beginning with a playful introduction to the world of radio drama, this highly interactive, panto-style performance is carefully guided so everyone can join in comfortably. And the result? A joyful, chaotic, and memorable experience where things don’t always go to plan – which is usually half the fun. 📍 The Gathering 2026, Aberfeldy 🗓️ 20–21 March 2026

We’re delighted that Lucy Beth will be part of The Gathering 2026, joining nine other acts to present excerpts from their tour-ready, small-scale work. ✨ Showcase Spotlight: @lucy.beth.performer ✨ Ma Name Is Isabelle is an award-winning, five-star spoken word performance created and performed by Lucy Beth. Told entirely in Doric, the North East of Scotland’s native dialect, this powerful and accessible piece reveals the true story of Isabelle, a young woman ostracised as an unmarried mother and separated from her son after being impregnated against her will. Poignant, intimate, and unforgettable, the performance celebrates resilience, voice, and triumph over adversity, bringing a hidden story into the light with honesty and compassion. 📍 The Gathering 2026, Aberfeldy 🗓️ 20–21 March 2026