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Key takeaways from The Gathering 2025

The Touring Network’s flagship annual event was held across 9-10 May in the historic Strathpeffer Pavilion, providing time and space for promoter and performer members, funders and other creative professionals to connect with each other and see new work.

Showcasing new work

The Gathering directly connect rural promoters and programmers to a range of high-quality, ready-to-tour acts. This year, delegates were able to see ten performers from multiple genres showcase their work, with a further 14 presenting shorter Wee Turns.

Showcasers

  • Alys Williams

    The Light House is a real-life love story about holding onto each other, even in the darkest times. Tender, funny and defiantly hopeful, it’s a love letter to life.

  • ChokKa

    Original Electronic Music for the head and the feet, played live with instruments. ChokKa are a 3 piece band with great, funky music.

  • A blurred photo. Two women are seen, although not clearly. We can see that one woman is holding a fiddle, the other a pair of red shoes.

    Deiseil airson Dannsa

    Deilseil airson Dannsa: Dancing in Time is a compelling journey across centuries of tradition, told through fiddle, feet, Gaelic song and storytelling.

  • Tragic Carpet at The Gathering

    Tragic Carpet

    Freda O’Byrne’s Tragic Carpet present Suitcase Stories, a series of tiny world performances, small enough to fit in a suitcase. The Little Toy is for ages 3-5, The Seven Ravens for ages 6-9 and Nosferatu for ages 9+.

  • Haver Quartet

    Haver Quartet is a genre-defying string quartet with the mission of creating meaningful and accessible musical experiences for all.

  • Lauren Collier

    Talented emerging Scottish musician Lauren Collier, is making a name for her virtuosity on the fiddle and captivating vocals.

  • Still from the dance piece Solitude Without Loneliness

    Malcolm Sutherland

    Solitude Without Loneliness is an evocative piece where bodies and characters collapse, separate, and reform in a constant search for meaning, attachment, and understanding.

  • Moteh Parrot

    Moteh Parrott is an Edinburgh-based alternative-indie-folk artist from The Highlands via Africa.

  • Penny Chivas

    Where We Choose to Stand is a powerful new performance inspired by climate activism and political change, blending movement, music, real stories, and moments of audience connection.

  • Ruby Warblers

    Performed by Jenny Q and Myshkin Warbler, Held on the High Wire is a candid, spellbinding multimedia performance telling the story of Jenny’s near death experience, sepsis survival, and new life on metal legs.

Wee Turns

Dance in focus

This year the Gathering 2025 brought dance centre stage, hosting a workshop that aimed to inspire and encourage promoters to programme more performances from this genre.

Anita Clark, Director of The Work Room and Lulu Johnston, Creative Scotland’s Dance Officer, led a brilliant and energetic session, sharing information about dance performances currently touring, as well as potential funding streams. You can see a copy of their presentation. Key points included:

Dance performances currently touring rurally

Creative Scotland’s Touring Fund

The Touring Fund supports professional theatre and dance productions of varying scales to tour across Scotland. Applications can come from individual artists, companies, producers, or consortia of venues presenting a shared touring programme. Venues & Promoters must be part of the Touring Fund venue cohort and follow The FST Touring Code of Practice to be eligible to receive and programme Touring Fund work.

I made connections to musicians we would like to host at some of our gigs…I connected with a comedian, dancers and lots of other interesting and diverse people from different genres. I felt a sense of belonging.”
The Gathering delegate