NEAT is a Rural Touring Scheme that promotes professional theatre, dance and film screenings in rural venues across the North East of Scotland via a dedicated team of volunteer promoters.
NEAT was formed in 1985 as a collaboration between local promoters, 5 Grampian District Councils and the Scottish Arts Council and in that time has made a positive difference to the cultural and social life of rural communities across the North East. Previous to 1985 there had been little professional theatre provision in the area except for Aberdeen City and Inverness. NEAT identified a service gap and became an organisation focused on providing small scale theatre for local audiences in rural communities and in turn provided tour dates for theatre companies. A coordinated approach meant that NEAT was a cost effective solution, providing high quality art experiences in less populated areas.
