Touring Fund for Theatre and Dance Opens for Applications

8 July 2025

Artists, choreographers, producers, companies, and venues based in Scotland who are planning to tour live theatre or dance can apply via the Creative Scotland website.

A boxing ring made up on a stage, in red and blue colours with stage lights and fairy lights festooned behind it. A large costume bear and a man dressed like a boxer stand in the middle, the bear is stepping over the ropes of the ring. Hercules the Bear from Tenterhooks Theatre.

Deadline: 2pm, Wednesday 24 September 2025

£2 million of National Lottery funding is available in the latest round of Creative Scotland’s Touring Fund for Theatre and Dance.

Developed in partnership with the Federation of Scottish Theatre, the Fund continues to champion touring theatre and dance, creating fresh opportunities for artists, producers, and companies and helping to expand audiences and increase access to high-quality performances across Scotland.

Paul Burns, Interim Director of Arts and Engagement at Creative Scotland said: “Support from The National Lottery allows us to renew and strengthen our commitment to touring theatre and dance across the country- bringing powerful performances into the heart of communities. We invite applications from artists at every stage of their career, working at all scales and in diverse settings, from traditional venues to outdoor and site-specific spaces, across a variety of forms and genres.”

Now in its ninth year, the Fund’s legacy grows having enabled some of Scotland’s most extraordinary, humorous and moving stories, presented in surprising and innovative ways.

Since the Fund’s launch in 2018, almost £12 million has been distributed to a wide variety of award-winning, new and restaged productions. These include an award from last year’s funding round, Òran from Wonder Fools, as well as Small Town Boys by Shaper/Caper and James IV: Queen of the Fight by Raw Material, part of Rona Munro’s celebrated The James Plays series.

Background

This year’s funding round will support activities beginning in Spring 2026.

Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery, which, now in its 30th year, has supported over 14,600 projects with more than £501.9 million in funding through Creative Scotland and its predecessor, the Scottish Arts Council. Further information at creativescotland.com. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Learn more about the value of art and creativity in Scotland and join in at www.ourcreativevoice.scot.

About The National Lottery

We are the largest funder of community activity in the UK – we’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. National Lottery players raise £36 million each week for good causes throughout the UK. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, £43 billion has been raised for good causes which has supported over 635,000 projects, benefiting millions of people - that’s 255 projects per postcode area.

We are passionate about funding great ideas that matter to communities and make a difference to people’s lives. Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, our funding is open to everyone. We’re privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.