Carn to Cove turns 25 after 1,300 shows across Cornwall

A remote village hall is not the first place most people would expect to catch professional theatre, live music or contemporary dance. In Cornwall, it has been exactly that for a quarter of a century.

Creative Kernow is marking the 25th anniversary of Carn to Cove, its rural touring and performance arts programme, which has spent 25 years putting professional performers in front of audiences who might otherwise have had to travel a long way to see them.

Village halls, schools and churches

Carn to Cove takes music, theatre, dance, comedy, storytelling and family shows into village halls, schools, libraries, churches and community spaces right across Cornwall. The idea is simple. Bring high-quality live performance to people’s doorsteps rather than expecting rural communities to come to it.

The numbers behind that idea are less simple. Since it began, Carn to Cove has reached around 45,000 audience members. More than 1,300 shows have toured the county. The programme has worked with over 2,300 artists along the way.

“For 25 years, Carn to Cove has helped make it possible for communities across Cornwall to experience brilliant live performance without having to travel far from home,” said Louise Kemp, Cultural and Place Manager for Live Arts and Events at Creative Kernow. “This anniversary is a chance to celebrate the artists, promoters, venues, volunteers, audiences, partners and funders who have shaped the scheme, and to look ahead to how rural touring can continue to evolve for the next generation.”

How it started

Carn to Cove was founded in 2001 after a successful pilot project, with funding secured from Arts Council England and Cornwall Council. It did not appear from nothing. It built on groundwork laid through the 1990s by district-based arts organisations including North Cornwall Arts, Restormel Arts and ACT, which had already been putting small-scale theatre, dance and music into venues across their patches.

Ross Williams, co-founder of Carn to Cove and a former Chief Executive of Creative Kernow, said the scheme grew directly out of that earlier effort. “It built on the hard work of the district-based arts organisations like North Cornwall Arts, Restormel Arts and ACT which had pioneered small-scale theatre, dance and music in venues across their areas throughout the 1990s and laid the foundations for Carn to Cove which embraces every corner of Cornwall and is uniquely responsive to the regular feedback it gets from the member venues.”

Much of the work depends on volunteers. Carn to Cove runs through a network of volunteer promoters and partner venues, with local people choosing which shows to host and then putting them on in places their neighbours already know and trust.

Part of a bigger network

The scheme has also connected Cornwall to national rural touring initiatives, including the Rural Touring Dance Initiative, The Inn Crowd and Create Tour Connect, alongside collaborations with other rural touring schemes in the South West.

That national picture matters. Across the UK, rural touring supports more than 1,000 community venues, from village halls to pubs, libraries and community centres.

“Rural touring is a key element of our national touring infrastructure and without it our communities and artists would be poorer for experience and opportunity,” said Abigail Reeve, Director of the National Rural Touring Forum. “We are thrilled to be able to celebrate 25 years of the excellent work of Carn to Cove in this essential touring sector.”

What happens next

Gregg Whelan, Chief Executive of Creative Kernow, framed the milestone as a starting point rather than a finish line. “I’ve lived in Cornwall for roughly half of Carn to Cove’s life, and I know from experience what an essential and unique contribution it makes to the creative life of this region,” he said. “Twenty-five years is a remarkable milestone to reach. Carn to Cove has built something extraordinary over that time, and it gives us an incredible foundation to build and expand upon in the years ahead.”

Creative Kernow, which is based at Krowji in Redruth, the largest creative hub in Cornwall, says its focus now is on keeping the scheme developing across different demographics and communities, with an eye on access, inclusion and creative opportunity.

The full 25th anniversary programme, including events and community celebrations, is due to be announced in the coming weeks.