Performing Abroad

The market for small-scale theatrical performing arts in the UK is large. By number of stages serving less than 200 people and by number of performances, it far outweighs the mid and largescale market yet it is poorly documented in academic research. An ecosystem exists consisting of small-scale venues, companies producing theatrical work and funders. Audiences play a secondary role, as funders and venue bookers act as gatekeepers, controlling what is made available to them. It is a buyers’ market with the number of available performance dates from companies far exceeding the capacity of the venues. This paper studies this ecosystem and the way that companies create work within it. It also considers the literature on international entrepreneurship for small businesses and asks if international touring is a viable means for companies to extend their reach. Does the ecosystem in which small-scale theatrical products are created inhibit or enhance the export potential of UK performing arts and what effect does the experience of international touring have on the artistic and business practice? Using a brand-new dataset of 164 active, UK based companies producing and touring work for small-scale touring venues, insights into the market for small-scale performing arts have been possible. A representative sample with some experience of international touring was identified, studied, and subjected to semi structured interviews. The research briefly concludes that the ecosystem protects and directs the way that companies operate and the type of product that produced, as it provides a framework for creating work and touring. Relationships within the ecosystem are not equal. Conventions within the wider industry and criteria imposed by venues and funders stifle innovation. Companies are neither entrepreneurial nor strategic and pursue artistic priorities ahead of economic or management ones in planning or creating work. The contractual implications of a horizontally structured workforce of freelance performers inhibits the longevity of productions, making solo shows and those involving company members more economically viable. As within the UK market, the ecosystem does not encourage companies to find new international markets outside those it recognises and promotes. International touring for micro-businesses is challenging and the costs are high.