Artists on Tour Directory

Frequently Asked Questions

Information for Schools

• Why book through ArtStarts?
  Are you interested in bringing a touring performance or workshop into your school or community? Make it easy on yourself and engage the ArtStarts booking service. We provide a convenient, cost-effective service to help bring some of the best performing artists to young people into your space.
  
  Our Booking and Touring team is here to assist you and can advise you on artist availability, programming, touring, schedules and fees.
• How does the ArtStarts booking service work?
  1. Select a Presentation
     Browse the Artists on Tour Directory to discover over 140 artistic presentations representing a diverse cross-section of performing arts disciplines and cultures.
  
  
  2. Submit an Online Booking Request
     Once you've made your performance selections, please complete and submit the Booking Request Form available above (at the top-right of this webpage). We'll work with the artists you have selected to confirm their touring dates and available times.
  
  
  3. Booking Confirmation
     ArtStarts will contact you by email with a list of performance dates and times scheduled for your school. We will work with you to confirm a date that works with your school schedule.
  
  
  4. Invoices
     You can expect to receive your invoice the month prior to your event. The ArtStarts $45 booking fee is included in all listed Artist Fees. Many school districts make use of our District Billing service.
  
  
  5. Monthly Reminders
     Each month, ArtStarts sends out email reminders to all schools and districts with scheduled events for the following month.
• What is the Artists on Tour Directory?
  The Artists on Tour Directory features over 140 performances and workshops created specifically for young audiences. Presentations include theatre, storytelling, dance, music and interdisciplinary arts. All artists listed in the directory are professional artists or youth groups with experience performing for and/or working with young people.
• How do school districts select and book artists?
  School districts select artists in a variety of ways. Using the Artists on Tour Directory as a guide, some select a handful of artists and book them into all of their schools, while others shortlist and send a recommended list to every principal in the district.
• How do individual schools select and book artists?
  Some districts leave all selection, confirmation and contracting to individual schools. If you are responsible for your school’s bookings, simply use the Artists on Tour Directory to make your selections, then contact ArtStarts, and we’ll take care of the details.
• How can we ensure the artist visit runs smoothly?
  Here are some simple steps that ArtStarts, artists and schools can follow to plan for a successful artist visit:
  
  ArtStarts:
  

  • ArtStarts provides every artist group with detailed itineraries of dates, times, venues, addresses, phone numbers and contact names for each school on their tour.

  
  Artists:
  

  • Artists are advised to send their study guides and/or Know-Wonder-Learn charts to the school at least two weeks before their performance, and to contact each school at least one week before their visit to re-confirm dates, arrival times and technical needs.

  
  Schools:
  

  • To make the most of your artist visit, and enhance cross-curricular connections, teachers are encouraged to use the resource materials provided by the artist before their visit. This will help familiarize your students with the artist’s work and what to expect during their visit. Study guides and Know-Wonder-Learn charts are available online at artstarts.com/guides
  • Please advise any staff involved with the artist’s technical needs to prepare for the performance.
  • Be sure to let the artist know about school-related details such as parking availability, sign-in procedures, lunch facilities and staffroom location.
• How can I give feedback about a performance?
  How did the performance go? Do you have experiences with artists in your school you want to share with others? Are there tips you can pass along to make the experience better all around? Were there any glitches? Our Booking & Touring Team will send you a follow up survey at the end of the week to see how your performance or workshop went! You can also send your feedback to bookings@artstarts.com

Information for Artists

• How can I join the Artists on Tour Directory?
  Performing artists interested in being part of the ArtStarts Artists on Tour Directory must first apply to Showcase. Please scroll to the bottom of this page for more information and to apply.

Our Booking and Touring Commitment

• Helpful tips from the ArtStarts Booking and Touring Team
  We have staff in office* Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm who are able to assist you with bookings via email, or telephone.
  
  We aim to reply to all requests within 48 hours. For requests that are more complex we will advise you of approximately how much longer we require to respond. If we are unable to fulfill your request we will offer suitable alternatives.
  
  We are committed to offering the same service to all presenters and districts in the province.
  
  *Please note due to COVID-19, our entire ArtStarts staff is working remotely. We do not have access to our work phones but are available to support via email. 
  
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  We have been experiencing issues with our email correspondence going to spam. We are working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. If you are expecting an email from ArtStarts, please check your spam folder or add us to your address book to keep our emails going to your inbox.