Thirteen exceptional touring productions and exhibitions will travel across regional NSW over the coming years, showcasing the state’s extraordinary breadth of arts and cultural talent for audiences of all ages.
Award-winning First Nations-led storytelling, inspiring musical performances, popular children’s theatre shows, comedy, dance and more – the diverse performances offer something for everyone, making arts and cultural experiences more accessible for regional communities.
“Create NSW is proud to support these world-class arts and cultural productions and programs to tour across regional NSW,” said Create NSW Executive Director, Kerri Glasscock.
“The impact of our Regional Arts Touring fund for audiences of all ages across NSW is immeasurable, creating vibrant, connected communities and ensuring groundbreaking arts and cultural experiences are accessible to regional and remote communities.”
“Touring enables artists and arts workers to expand their professional experience while giving them the opportunity to collaborate with other creatives and connect with regional audiences.”
Create NSW’s 2025/26 Regional Arts Touring fund is delivering more than $850,000 to support 13 productions and exhibitions to head out on tour to 49 regional communities.
From Bega to Byron Bay, Bathurst to Broken Hill and dozens of regional communities in between, the tours are anticipated to engage over 65,000 audience members and participants at the many world-class venues, galleries, theatres and cultural spaces across regional NSW.
The productions will enable 152 talented NSW artists to showcase their work, grow professionally and develop their touring capacity. Through this funding five regionally-based productions will tour around NSW sharing important regional stories with wider audiences.
One of the tours supported is Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP)’s Award-winning production Saplings, returning the work to regional and Western Sydney communities whose stories helped shape it.
Written by award-winning Yuwaalaraay playwright Hannah Belanszky, Saplings explores young people’s experiences with the law and justice system and is led by a team that includes 80 per cent First Nations young creatives and performers.
The regional NSW tour is part of ATYP’s largest national tour to date, travelling to 11 venues over seven weeks in 2026 with songwriting workshops embedding local youth voices into the production.
“Saplings is a statement of ATYP’s role in the NSW and national theatre ecology – championing youth-led, First Nations-centred work as artistically excellent and culturally essential,” said Artistic Director of the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP), Hayden Tonazzi. “This tour affirms that young people’s stories are not peripheral, but central to Australia’s cultural future.”
Create NSW’s next round of Regional Arts Touring will open in April 2026. For more information and view latest recipients, visit: www.create.nsw.gov.au for details.
Image: Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) Saplings by Hannah Belanszky – photo by Clare Hawley