Community Touring - Information for Artists and Companies
Are you looking to tour work outside of Glasgow's City Centre? Glasgow Life works in these places and we are keen to hear from you.
On this page, read about what we're looking for, and what you can expect from a Community Tour, including practical information about the venues we tour to, and what you will need to think about when proposing or planning a tour.
If you'd like to get in touch, please email AMCV@glasgowlife.org.uk and put ‘Community Touring’ in the subject line.
Where we go, and what we’re looking for
Our community touring programme is about bringing high quality arts experiences and performances to venues on people’s doorsteps. It occurs within a semi-urban context, where communities are located within the City boundary. They have a relatively high density of housing but lack many of the advantages, and access to resources and services, associated with contemporary urban life. As a result, we are committed to producing work which has a reputation not only for quality and accessibility, but also for provoking and entertaining our audience.
We are always looking for work that has the potential to deliver a meaningful and entertaining experience in this context. Productions should be designed for the demands of working in local venues, and be suitably flexible and adaptable.
We are interested in a wide range of genres, and have promoted all kinds of work over the past 15 years: Dance, mixed media, theatre and interactive participatory experiences have all taken place in venues with our support.
About the venues we use
The venues we work with are exclusively within the Glasgow City Council boundary and are outwith the city centre. These range from larger Glasgow Life venues eg Castlemilk Community Centre (G45), Barmulloch Community Centre (G21) and Penilee Community Centre (G52) to independent venues that range in size from Knightswood Community Centre (G13) to smaller organisations like Barrowfield Community Centre (G31). We also tour to more targeted communities, through care homes and venues supporting those experiencing homelessness.
Our colleagues in Community Centres promote the shows, sell tickets, and - most importantly - advocate on our behalf. They know the people we’re hoping to reach, because the local communities use the centres for a wide range of other activities and services.
These vary from venue to venue but currently Glasgow Life venues are not open at the weekends and close at 9pm during the week.
There is no centralised booking system, and each venue will take bookings subject to their own availability. Venues will usually assist with ticket sales, but they do not offer a bespoke box office as a theatre can.
We have some financial resources and are keen to maximise their value. In some cases we may be able to assist in covering costs but in others we will provide you with in-kind support.
Some venues have dressing room space but in others the backstage facilities will require some rearranging.
Community venues have Front of House staff but generally they are supervising the entire venue. So you should make arrangements to have sufficient numbers of people to manage the audience yourselves. On certain occasions and tours, Glasgow Life Arts Producers will be there to support the creative team or the venue.
Staging your show
A little about the technical aspects of a community tour
Most venues have stages, and they vary in size. In the past, touring companies have used the stage or the floor depending on the needs of the show.
All the venues have flexible seating (usually individual chairs in rows) so capacity can be varied and audiences can be theatre style or cabaret style with tables. Most venues do not have blackout or in-house stage lighting
You will need (in most cases) to tour everything you need, to support your event technically.
In most venues, 13amp power is readily available. However, any equipment requiring more specialist loading may not be able to operate.
Your equipment should be PAT tested and you should have the log with you.
You should bring your own ladders and any other specialist equipment you need.
You should have risked assessed your work and have a copy of the assessment paperwork with you.
Your company or your team members should have public liability insurance and if required you should have Employers Liability Insurance.
The community venues are generally very busy places and we usually tour with a 2 hour get in and a 1 hour get out. These can be extended on a case-by-case basis.