Budgeting
Financial capital is important in any touring venture. It is important to first have a budget for the entire tour in place. By collecting actual quotes for the different parts of the tour you will be able to draw up a realistic budget. Remember to allow room for contingencies and inflation. Arbitrary quotes can not only disrupt your budgeting, but it can cause discrepancies in your final reporting to your funders. This can be detrimental to your credibility, ability to manage funds, and may negatively impact future funding applications.
Find below a sample budget template for a touring production.
Funding
Funding can come from different avenues. When seeking funding for your tour, it is beneficial to have some good marketing material for your show, such as high quality photos and video snippets, as well as details about your show. This gives your potential funders a picture of what they are investing in. Some avenues for funding include:
Savings and Investments: If you/your organisation have been planning towards a tour for a while, you may have some savings stored up towards it.
Crowdfunding: There are various crowdfunding platforms such as: GoFundMe, Kickstarter, Patreon, among others. You can set up a page with information about your show and potential tour and accept donations. You could also consider creating a social media campaign around crowdfunding your project to get your potential donors excited and get the information to as many people as possible.
Private Donations: Like crowdfunding, this option relies on donors. These may be philanthropic persons or organisations who support your project.
Corporate Sponsorships: These can come in cash or in kind, and usually require a display of the sponsoring company's logo on a part of your production for marketing purposes.
Grants: There are various funding bodies for the arts. Giving yourself adequate time to fundraise enables you to find grants geared specifically towards your project and apply in time for the funding season. Some organisations that fund artistic projects are: British Council, Institut Francaise, Goethe Institute, Africa No Filter, etc.
Venue/Split agreements: Some venues will also agree to split the proceeds from the gate at a certain percentage once ticket sales surpass a certain amount which covers operating costs.
Online and Advance Ticket Sales: Even though this will come later in the touring schedule, selling tickets in advance helps to get a sense of how well your show is being publicised and patronised ahead of the actual event date.
Finally, if you received funding from external sources, it is good business practice to
keep them informed on your progress and outcomes. This builds good communication practice and an ongoing relationship towards future projects.
Accra to the World: How to Tour a Theatre Production in Ghana" is supported by the British Council Cultural Exchange programme, which supports cultural organisations, festivals, artists, and creatives between the countries of SSA* and the UK to create art, build networks, collaborate and develop markets and share artists’ work with audiences.
