APPLAUSE
Applause Rural Touring is a UK-registered charity (No. 1165632) that subsidises professional live performances to rural communities across Kent, Sussex, and Essex through indoor, outdoor, schools, and pub touring programmes, supported by Arts Council England funding and a national 17-partner collaboration.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersSouthborough, Tunbridge Wells, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
APPLAUSE firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- APPLAUSE
- Legal name
- Applause Rural Touring
- Website
- https://applause.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Applause Rural Touring is a UK-registered charity (No. 1165632) that subsidises professional live performances to rural communities across Kent, Sussex, and Essex through indoor, outdoor, schools, and pub touring programmes, supported by Arts Council England funding and a national 17-partner collaboration.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
APPLAUSE industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Rural Arts Touring & Community Cultural Programming
- NAICS
- Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community Theatre & Storytelling Festivals (MPAGAEAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH), School Spirit & Events Programs (Pep Rally, Homecoming, Assemblies) (EDAJAJAL)
Keywords
Where APPLAUSE is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Southborough, Tunbridge Wells
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
APPLAUSE business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Arts Council England Funding: Principal investor providing core operational funding. Applause is a registered charity (no. 1165632) that receives significant public funding to subsidize touring costs and make performances affordable for rural venues.
- Donations and Fundraising: Public donations via CAF Donate platform and text-to-donate service. Funds are used to subsidize future events and grow activities.
- Performance Fees and Ticket Sales: Venue hosts pay subsidized booking fees for performances. Ticket revenues are collected at events. The organization provides subsidies averaging 35% to reduce costs for hosts.
- Multi-source Funding Support: Additional funding from Kent County Council, Essex County Council, East Sussex Arts Partnership, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Wealden District Council, Rother District Council, Creative Estuary, South Downs National Park, Kent Community Foundation, Gatwick Airport Community Trust, Chalk Cliff Trust, Foyle Foundation, Lawson Trust, Swale Borough Council, The Whitehead Monckton Charitable Foundation, Cleary Foundation, Creatives Across Sussex.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Artist Commission/Development Fees |
| Subscription | Annual | Venue Host Subsidy |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels7 records
APPLAUSE product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Applause is a registered charity that runs rural touring programmes bringing professional theatre, dance, music, storytelling, puppetry and family shows to village halls, libraries, community spaces, schools, pubs and outdoor events across the South East of England. It subsidises booking fees using Arts Council England funding, commissions and supports artists to create and tour new work, and coordinates a national 17-partner collaboration (Create Tour Connect) to deliver new regional shows to rural communities.
Product overview
APPLAUSE is a rural touring arts charity operating across Kent, Sussex, and Essex that connects artists with rural communities through a portfolio of touring programmes. The core offerings include Applause Indoors (village halls and libraries), Applause Outdoors (festivals and fetes), Applause Schools, and Inn Crowd (pub performances). The organisation operates Eventotron, an online management platform for artist applications and venue bookings. Major initiatives include Create Tour Connect, a national 17-partner collaboration touring new theatre to rural communities, Boost! artist development programme, and community projects like Let's Play THURROCK! and Replay Schools. Seasonal menu publications announce available shows including theatre, dance, puppetry, music, and family entertainment. The organisation also produces digital products including audio dramas and podcasts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Applause Indoors Rural touring programme bringing professional theatre, dance, music, storytelling, puppetry and children's shows to village halls, libraries and community spaces across Kent, Sussex and Essex. Venues host shows from an annual indoor menu with subsidised booking fees.
- Applause Outdoors
Quantifiable outcome
- 30,000+ people experience Applause performances annually
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use APPLAUSE
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
APPLAUSE technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
Feature1 record
APPLAUSE partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Create Tour Connect Partners (17 organisations)coreNational collaboration of 17 arts organisations working together to support creation, development and touring of new regional shows to rural communities. Includes Artsreach, Carn to Cove, Beaford, Villages in Action, Take Art, Air in G, and others.
- Creative EstuarycoreMajor initiative to forge creative energy along the Thames Estuary. Funded by DCMS Cultural Development Fund (£4.3m). Led by University of Kent. Applause partners on Boost! programme and Let's Play Thurrock project.
- South Downs National Park AuthorityminorPartnership on Full Harvest audio stories project celebrating South Downs landscape. Joint commissioning of Cherry Soup audio drama exploring landscape, people and history.
- Inn CrowdminorNational project bringing performances to pubs. Applause delivered Inn Crowd residencies including Lockdown Residencies pairing artists with pubs during Covid.
- Casson & FriendscoreDance company collaboration on ARCADE and Let's Play Thurrock project. Created interactive dance 'games' performances for community events.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
APPLAUSE competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- National Rural Touring Forum (NRTF): NRTF is the UK umbrella body supporting rural and community touring schemes including Applause — comparable as a sector-level coordinating and advocacy organisation rather than a direct touring competitor.
- Creative Estuary: Creative Estuary is a DCMS-funded cultural development initiative along the Thames Estuary in which Applause is a delivery partner — comparable as a funder/programme consortium rather than a touring competitor, and a key source of Applause's project funding.
Direct peers
- Live & Local: Live & Local is a rural touring scheme covering the West Midlands (Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and surrounding counties), bringing professional arts to community venues via volunteer promoters — directly comparable regional peer using the same promoter-led model.
- Villages in Action: Villages in Action is a Devon and Somerset community touring scheme delivering professional theatre, music, and dance to rural venues via local promoters — directly comparable to Applause's indoor touring programme and a fellow Create Tour Connect partner.
- Take Art: Take Art is a Somerset-based rural and community touring organisation delivering performing arts to village halls, schools, and community venues — closely analogous to Applause's mixed indoor, outdoor, and schools programming model and a fellow Create Tour Connect partner.
- Carn to Cove: Cornwall's rural touring scheme brings professional performances to village halls across the county using a volunteer promoter network — directly comparable to Applause's community-led rural touring model and a fellow Create Tour Connect partner.
- Inn Crowd: Inn Crowd is a national pub-based performance programme that Applause itself delivers and partners with; comparable as a touring model reaching rural audiences in pubs and licensed venues across the UK.
- Artsreach: Artsreach is a Dorset-based rural touring scheme that brings professional theatre, dance, music, and family shows to village halls and community venues — the closest direct analogue to Applause's model, operating the same community-led promoter model in a different UK region.
- Rural Arts: Rural Arts is a North Yorkshire-based charity that delivers touring performances, workshops, and creative projects to rural communities across the North of England — a fellow rural touring and community engagement charity using subsidised models comparable to Applause.
- Beaford: Beaford Arts operates rural touring and cultural programming in North Devon, working with village halls and community promoters to deliver professional performances — a parallel rural touring charity and fellow Create Tour Connect partner.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
APPLAUSE social profiles
Digital presenceAPPLAUSE compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
APPLAUSE financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
APPLAUSE leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
APPLAUSE funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
APPLAUSE M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about APPLAUSE
What does APPLAUSE do?
Applause is a registered charity that runs rural touring programmes bringing professional theatre, dance, music, storytelling, puppetry and family shows to village halls, libraries, community spaces, schools, pubs and outdoor events across the South East of England. It subsidises booking fees using Arts Council England funding, commissions and supports artists to create and tour new work, and coordinates a national 17-partner collaboration (Create Tour Connect) to deliver new regional shows to rural communities.
Is APPLAUSE a public or private company?
APPLAUSE is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was APPLAUSE founded?
APPLAUSE was founded in 1998. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is APPLAUSE based?
APPLAUSE is headquartered in Southborough, Tunbridge Wells, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does APPLAUSE make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Arts Council England Funding is the primary driver. The others are donations and Fundraising, performance Fees and Ticket Sales and multi-source Funding Support.
Who are APPLAUSE's main competitors?
Others on record are National Rural Touring Forum (NRTF) and Creative Estuary. Direct peers are Live & Local, Villages in Action, Take Art, Carn to Cove, Inn Crowd, Artsreach, Rural Arts and Beaford.
Does APPLAUSE have an API?
No public API is recorded for APPLAUSE.
What industry is APPLAUSE in?
APPLAUSE's product category is Rural Arts Touring & Community Cultural Programming. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAEAI, Community Theatre & Storytelling Festivals, with a secondary code of BPAGAHAH, Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs. Its NAICS code is 8134 and its SIC code is 7900.