PANNZ to set up and deliver agency to support touring in NZ

16 December 2014

A bright future for touring in New Zealand: PANNZ appointed by Creative New Zealand to set up and deliver a new agency to support touring in NZ

PromPT Incorporated (trading as PANNZ) are thrilled to have been selected by Creative New Zealand to provide national touring services over the next three years. An agency to help organise and support the national touring of contemporary New Zealand theatre, music and dance will be in place by March next year.

Why do we need a touring agency?
In September this year, Creative New Zealand called for proposals to establish a national touring agency. The intention was to fill a gap in our performing arts infrastructure and ensure that more audiences nationwide have opportunities to enjoy excellent NZ performing arts experiences.

At the heart of PANNZ’s proposal for the agency is a flexible organisation that can adapt to the existing environment, and work in partnership with the sector. PANNZ envisages an agency that can work alongside arts organisations and artists who have their own management structures to deliver tours; and provide financial and management structures for artists and arts organisations that do not have their own.

How will the agency be resourced?
Three key roles will be established, to deliver the work of the agency. This will include a senior producer, a production manager and a marketing and audience development manager. PANNZ has engaged a project manager to oversee the recruitment process and set up of the agency so the agency can hit the ground running in 2015.

The PANNZ executive will provide governance for the agency. As a representative industry body it includes: venue convenor, producer convenor, festivals convenor, independent producer convenor and events and a Venues Association New Zealand (EVANZ) representative.

What services will the new agency provide?
The agency will focus on managing and supporting medium to large-scale regional and national tours of New Zealand. We’re defining ‘medium scale’ as being tours that have more than three artists in the touring party, travelling to venues with 200 or more seats. The agency will develop and negotiate contracts between companies and presenters, providing a connecting role between practitioners, venues and festivals.

The agency will place audience development at the heart of touring by providing targeted support and expertise to grow audiences for touring work. It is intended that the agency will gather case studies and best practice knowledge from the work it undertakes, which will be accessible by the sector. As part of this, the agency will update the New Zealand Touring Manual (2007) and offer touring workshops and training at industry events, such as the PANNZ market.

What happens next?
The development of the agency and the criteria for choosing work to tour is being established over the next month.

Full details of the recruitment process for the setup of the new agency will be announced early in the New Year, with details posted on the PANNZ website. The open date for applications will be 12 January 2015. It is anticipated that the role of Senior Producer will be confirmed in advance of the PANNZ market, which takes place in Auckland, 9 – 11 March 2015.

There will be further opportunity to learn about the PANNZ Touring Agency at the PANNZ Market. For more information on PANNZ go to www.pannz.org.nz

ENDS

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