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Civic Family

Our Civic Family – Associate Artists 

As a non-profit arts centre, Barnsley Civic has a long and proud history of supporting and championing emerging artists and established companies, working closely with creatives across a wide range of disciplines and developing long-term relationships that support, nurture, and promote the development of innovative new work and projects.  

The close relationships we have with artists and community networks are at the heart of all the work we do, and we recognise and value the power of arts and culture to transform and champion social change.  

As we move towards the 150th anniversary of our iconic Barnsley building, we want to formalise the importance of the ‘Civic Family’ by launching our Associate Artists Programme and reaffirm our commitment to providing support, space, visibility, and resources, for emerging and established artists. 

Our commitment to the Civic Family 

Barnsley Civic will: 

  • Invest time and focus on the professional development of artists and support the development, creation and delivery of new work.  
  • Champion and promote their work on both a local and national level.  
  • Encourage partnership working and the development of a supportive, collaborative and far-reaching network 
  • Provide a platform to enable artists to reach and connect with audiences through performance, exhibition, and engagement, within Barnsley as well as nationally. 
  • Provide ongoing networking support both one-to-one and through ‘Civic Family’ events 
  • Commit to offer practical support in the form of rehearsal and co-working space. 

The organisations and individuals chosen have worked closely with us for a number of years, and we are looking forward to further strengthening and expanding our mutual partnerships and collaborations with them through this exciting new programme.  

We also can’t wait to continue to expand our family and look forward to working with more artists each year. If you are interested in getting involved visit our website or contact us to see the many ways, we can offer support and development opportunities for artists.  

Ailish Treanor

Ailish Treanor is a multi-disciplinary artist living and working in Barnsley. Graduating from Newcastle University in 2018, her practice comprises sculpture, painting and installation. Treanor’s sculptural practice is process-led, working imaginatively she explores the sculptural potential of paper. Often these explorations in paper evolve into working in other mediums such as ceramics, textiles and metal-working. Previous exhibitions include, Chalant at Slugtown (Newcastle) 2025, Ulterior Motifs at Barnsley Civic, 2024 – 2025 and Tableau Retro at 87 Gallery (Artlink Hull), 2022. In 2025 she was selected for the YSI Sculpture Network, an artist development programme in partnership with Yorkshire Sculpture Park, The Hepworth Wakefield and The Henry Moore Institute. 

Learn more

Gary Clarke Company

Co-founded and led by Artistic Director Gary Clarke and Executive Producer Annabel Dunbar, Gary Clarke Company is a pioneering, award-winning dance theatre company based in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.
Renowned for high impact, high quality and high legacy work, the company tours extensively on the mid-scale across the UK (including COAL, WASTELAND and DETENTION) and continues to nurture new partners and touring networks at home and abroad.
Learn more

Natalie Bellingham

Natalie is a theatre-maker, performer and physical comedian. Raised in Manchester and now based in Yorkshire, she creates bold, tender work that sits between clown, storytelling and visual theatre.  

She co-founded Uncanny Theatre, touring original work across the UK for over a decade, with performances at HOME Manchester, The Lowry, Transform, INcoming Festival and Gateshead International Festival of Theatre.  

Her work embraces the honesty of clown and the complexity of being human—playful, poignant and often absurd. She uses comedy to explore difficult themes in accessible, open-hearted ways, creating relaxed spaces where no one is the expert.  

Natalie uses small ideas to shine a light on the more unwieldy ones. It can be autobiographical, although not always. Sometimes it’s about the pain of losing a parent, sometimes it’s about tiny little birds and often it can be about both. 

Learn moreLook After Your Knees Show

Tala LEE Turton - Red Robin Productions

Founded by creative producer and dance artist Tala Lee-Turton, Red Robin Productions facilitates storytelling at the intersection of dance and visual art. Tala believes in making work that bridges the imagination and social realities, informed by her civic role and lived experience as an intersectional Barnsley artist.

Her work is supported by platforms, venues and funders that include: Arts Council England, the Barbican, Invisible Flock, Girls in Film, Northern Ballet, Sheffield Theatres, Barnsley Civic, Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Screen Yorkshire, and Reclaim the Frame. Red Robin Productions’ current work PIA is co-commissioned by the Barbican and Barnsley Civic and will premiere in Autumn 2026. 

Learn more

Cross the Sky Theatre Company

Cross the Sky is our very own theatre company for autistic and learning-disabled adults living in Barnsley and the wider South Yorkshire area and has been part of Barnsley Civic since 2015 but has been running for over 20 years.

Our fifteen performers are led by Artistic Director Becky Newbould and Musical Director Simon Grainger. The group devise their own original musical theatre productions, inspired by autistic culture and our performers’ lived experiences as disabled people.

This year, the company is joined by Barnsley based set designer Rebecca Constable, who will be creating the set for the company’s new production The District. 

Lucy dewsnap

Lucy Dewsnap, aka BearSuit is a Barnsley-based artist exploring socio ecological themes through their multifaceted practice. Through the Bearsuit persona, Lucy combines personal narrative with the fantastical.  

Bearsuit is a BA (hons) and MA fine art graduate and has been working professionally as an artist since 2021. They frequently lead community workshops, tutored painting courses and demos. They are also an exhibiting artist. Most notably, they exhibited as part of the ones to watch 2023 and had their first major solo exhibition , Human animal, In October 25 – Jan 26. Alongside  their artistic practice, they are both a resident artist, and associate artist in partnership with the Barnsley civic 

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Mark Mark Productions

Mark Mark Productions is known for its energetic, visual street spectacles that blend comedy, circus skills, and improvisation. Founded in the 90s, the company has a knack for creating memorable, crowd-pleasing performances seen across the globe. With their weird and wonderful characters regularly popping up in our corridors, there’s never a dull moment when Mark Mark is in the building! Recent productions include Cannon Capers and The Great Fiasco, continuing their tradition of inventive, humorous performances.

Learn more

We'd love to keep in touch!

Contact
Barnsley Civic, Eldon Street, Barnsley, S70 2JL
01226 327000
enquiries@barnsleycivic.co.uk

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Mon – Sat: 10am – 4pm

The Box Office will remain open prior to all performances and up to 30 minutes after it starts.

The Gallery Opening Times

Mon – Sat: 10am – 4pm

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