More than a dozen theatre, music and exhibition projects will tour regional New South Wales over the next two years under a new round of funding from Create NSW.

Announced today, 3 March, the 2025/26 Regional Arts Touring fund will distribute more than $850,000 to support 13 productions and exhibitions travelling to 49 regional communities, from Bega and Bathurst to Broken Hill and Byron Bay.

The tours are expected to engage more than 65,000 audience members and participants and provide employment and professional development opportunities for 152 NSW artists. Five regionally based productions are among the recipients, sharing locally grounded stories with audiences across the state.

ATYP’s Saplings. Photo © Clare Hawley

One of the flagship tours is Australian Theatre for Young People’s award-winning production Saplings, written by Yuwaalaraay playwright Hannah Belanszky. The work, which explores young people’s experiences with the law and justice system, will return to regional and Western Sydney communities whose stories helped shape it. The seven-week NSW leg forms part of ATYP’s largest national tour to date, spanning 11 venues in 2026 and incorporating songwriting workshops to embed local youth voices.

Other funded projects include a regional tour of...