The Collaborative Touring Network (CTN) was formed in 2013, with the aim of developing a different way of touring.
A collective of 8 organisations based in Hull, Wigan, Gloucester, Torbay, Thanet, Peterborough, Medway and Wandsworth, CTN believes in the power and possibility of live performance.
Our towns and places have often been overlooked and under-resourced, but we believe every town deserves life-affirming, soul-shaking, perspective-changing shows, and we work with artists and communities to make this possible in our places.
We think touring live performance is most impactful when it is invited into places where community is already happening. We create local partnerships and put on shows in these unlikely spaces: from car parks, to nightclubs, rooftops to community centres.
We commit to working in ways that can contribute to a fairer, more inclusive society. A society in which access to cultural experiences and opportunities for creative expression are not limited by circumstance or context.
The Collaborative Touring Network is Battersea Arts Centre (Wandsworth). Doorstep Arts (Torbay). Heads Up (Hull). Jumped Up Theatre (Peterborough). Looping the Loop (Thanet). Lyrici Arts (Medway). The Old Courts (Wigan). Strike a Light (Gloucester).
HOW WE WORK
One: We work with communities and artists to create new ways of being together.
Two: We believe in the power and possibility of live performance.
Three: We challenge dysfunctional working models. We experiment with different ways of making, sharing and touring live performance that can contribute to a fairer, more inclusive society; where access to cultural experiences and opportunities for creative expression are not limited by circumstance, class or identity.
Four: We question, we listen, we try new things, we learn from our mistakes and we try again.
Five: We believe every town deserves to experience life-affirming, soul-shaking, perspective-changing live performance. We are committed to creating the conditions for this work to exist and grow in our locations.
Six: We work as a network. We give what we can and take the support we need, acknowledging the different scales, capacities, and resources accessible to each of us.
Seven: We value people, their experiences, and their stories. We listen to and create platforms for stories that often go unheard.
Eight: We think touring live work is most impactful when it is invited into places where community is already happening. We do not expect people to come to us. We are interested in meeting them where they are.
Nine: We are in this for the long-run.