Show seasons
From epic seaside tales and sea shanties, fearless circus queens, fantasy non-verbal puppetry, to meeting Shakespeare down the pub, serious challengers to Jools Holland, and festive opera frolics – our CRTA Autumn 2023 season went down a storm.
Our promoters tell us that the shows were “excellent”, “very well attended”, “really positive and the audience were engaged throughout”, and that the artists and companies were a “pleasure to work with”, “professional and personable”.
A huge thank you to all our Cheshire promoters, and to the visiting artists and companies, Jack Dean and Company, Dead Rabbits Theatre, Nicholas Collett, Dommy B, Life and Limb Puppets, Daniel Smith Blues Duo, Sarah McQuaid, and Opera Dudes.
Soon to come is our Spring 2024 season and there’s a show for everyone – think controversial comedy theatre, playful interactive origami and dance, powerful gothic characterisation, moving storytelling from Syria and breaking bread, accessible adventures advocating for climate change, more Shakespeare down the pub, and multi-instrumentalists joyously sharing sounds from East and West Africa through to Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada. See our What’s On page for more details.
Northern Rural Touring Consortium
Cheshire Rural Touring is part of the Northern Rural Touring Consortium. The Northern Rural Touring Consortium is an unconstituted strategic alliance between Spot On Lancashire, Cheshire Rural Touring Arts, Kirkgate Arts/Arts Out West (West Cumbria), Blaize’s Rural Scheme Artery (East Yorkshire) and Live Lincs (North Lincolnshire), Highlights (Cumbria, County Durham, Northumberland), Rural Arts (North Yorkshire), and Arts Alive (Shropshire), that has contributed hugely to the UK touring sector since 1999. Punching above their weight, the Northern Consortium has collaborated on creative, ambitious programming, co-commissioning, and touring projects building sector resilience across the North. They have delivered over 50 joint region/international projects securing £1m in funding to support 52 external artists, companies, and partners.
The consortium’s most recent project HANDS (Helping Artists Needs Develop Sustainably) has offered mentoring, commissions, connections, training, residencies, showcasing opportunities and more to diverse artists representative of contemporary society.
With plans to strategically collaborate more over the coming year, we aim to support sector development and to strengthen touring opportunities in the North of England.
Website: Home – Northern Consortium of Rural Touring Schemes
CRTA Managers
Cheshire Rural Touring Arts is managed by Jen Henry and Rosie Watt. Jen (she/her) has been with CRTA since 2007, a whopping 17 years so far! Jen is a dab hand at delivering a programme of professional rural touring activities across Cheshire East and West. Further to this, Jen has created and delivered several young people’s projects, artist development projects, and supports a team of 100 volunteers with training, skills development, and support across CRTA.
Alongside rural touring, Jen has collected a wealth of experience from the following roles: Unity Theatre Liverpool: Manager, Floral Pavilion Theatre, Wirral: Volunteer programme manager, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic: Project Manager (education and outreach), Teacher of drama, Teaching artist in residence, Bosco CLC Liverpool, Stage manager, Theatre in education practitioner.
In 2023, CRTA welcomed new manager, Rosie Watt. Rosie (she/her) is passionate about collaboratively working with artists, creatives, and community partners to deliver and produce creative, cultural and wellbeing activities and programmes for widely diverse individuals and communities.
Rosie has 10 years experience as an Independent Creative Producer across the North of England, and over the past 3 years has fundraised approximately £1m from Arts Council England Lottery Projects, DYCP, NPO, Cultural Recovery Funding and further commissions, enabling artists and organisations to deliver projects and productions across libraries, rural touring, galleries, charities, community centres, outdoor festivals, and theatres. (Artists included Surface Area Dance Theatre NPO, Sandrine Monin, Coalesce Dance Theatre, Yuvel Soria Dance, Kasia Witek and Bobak Walker).
Experience in the voluntary sector, volunteering at Samaritans and a Level 7 Postgrad Certificate in Counselling and Interpersonal Skills, has given Rosie an insight into mental health, relational patterns and communication which influences her work. Rosie is an advocate for mental health and wellbeing, striving to care, understand, empathise, and connect.
If you fancy saying hello to us, find us here: crta@cheshirewest.gov.uk
