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.
Civic Pride Singers is a welcoming singing and social group for Barnsley residents who identify as LGBTQIA+. Created out of Barnsley Civic’s LGBTQIA+ focus group in 2021, the group offers a safe, supportive space for people to connect, share their love of music, and be their authentic selves.
Led by a professional musician and supported by volunteers, Civic Pride Singers is disability and neurodivergent friendly, recognising the intersection between trans, non-binary, and neurodivergent communities. Whether you’re looking to feel more comfortable with your voice or just want to meet like-minded people, this group offers a judgement-free environment where everyone is accepted.
In July 2023, the group was proud to open the main stage at Barnsley Pride and perform at the Maurice Dobson Pride in Darfield.
As one member shared: “I joined the group looking to get involved in something local and social where I would feel included and accepted as a queer neurodivergent person, and now it is the thing I look forward to the most in my life.”
If you’re aged 18+ and identify as LGBTQIA+, we’d love for you to join us and make new friends through music.
Civic Pride Singers is supported by Better Barnsley Bond and Creative Minds.
If you’re a young person aged 14-19 and passionate about storytelling, Life in a Northern Town could be for you. At Barnsley Civic, we believe the future of theatre starts with new voices, and this programme is designed to help you bring your ideas to life.
In partnership with Northern Broadsides, Blackpool Grand, and Customs House South Shields, we offer free online creative writing workshops and masterclasses led by professional playwrights and dramaturgs. You’ll develop your own short plays, learn valuable skills, and be part of a group of emerging young playwrights from across the North.
Running through 2025, this programme is a fantastic opportunity to explore your creativity and see your work come to life on stage. If you or a young person you know is interested in writing for theatre, we’d love to hear from you. Email jasonwhite@barnsleycivic.co.uk to get involved.
If you’re aged 14-19 and passionate about creative writing, Barnsley Young Writers is the perfect space to get involved. In partnership with Hive South Yorkshire, we offer bi-weekly creative writing workshops where you can explore poetry, short stories, scripts, and journalism in a welcoming and supportive environment. Whether you’re neurodivergent, identify as LGBTQIA+, or just love writing, we’ve created a safe space for everyone to express themselves.
As part of the group, you’ll have the chance to get your work published, perform at local venues, enter national competitions, and even receive one-to-one mentoring to develop your skills. Our members have performed at iconic venues like The Leadmill and Barnsley Civic and taken part in exciting events like Barnsley Zine Fair and Off The Shelf Festival. Plus, the group has already published two anthologies of poetry and short stories!
Interested in trying it out? Whether you’re curious or already love writing, we’d love for you to join us. Just email jasonwhite@barnsleycivic.co.uk to get started.
Barnsley Young Writers is supported by Creative Minds and Better Barnsley Bond.
Eating Art was a Barnsley Civic project supported by Creative Lives’ Know Your Neighbourhood grants, bringing together five different community groups to explore the theme of communal food sharing and the design of food-sharing objects. Led by surface pattern designer Ellie Mae Fisher and ceramicist Moz Khokhar, participants from Feels Like Home, TransBarnsley, Creative Recovery, Chilypep, and Barnsley College’s Fine Art Practice students took part in creative workshops.
At the end of the project, the participants’ designs were exhibited in the Gallery at Barnsley Civic, and everyone came together for a celebration meal to mark the project’s success. Watch the video documenting the event here.
Teenage Wildlife was a community engagement project exploring 70 years of youth culture and teenage experiences in Barnsley, centred around the Eldon Street Heritage Action Zone. Funded by Historic England and supported by Barnsley Council, this project celebrated the stories, memories, and shared experiences of Barnsley’s teens across the decades.
Over 18 months, Barnsley Civic worked with volunteers to capture the stories and images of Barnsley’s teenage past—whether you were a Teddy Boy in the 1950s, a New Romantic in the 1980s, or an Emo in the 2000s. This project highlighted both the similarities and the unique differences between generations, and we invited people to share their stories of growing up in Barnsley.
Using Eldon Street as the conversation starter, the project delved into themes like music, fashion, youth employment, education, cinema, theatre, pubs, and youth clubs. Behind the scenes, we collaborated with local community groups, which led to a range of creative outputs—including exhibitions, poetry, magazines, a digital archive, and a piece of community theatre.
In 2022, Barnsley Civic’s Creative Engagement team decided to extend the Teenage Wildlife community theatre project, using it as a tool to engage schools and communities across Barnsley.
In 2004, disabled artist Caroline Cardus created The Way Ahead, a powerful fine art protest piece using UK road signs to represent ideas around disability access and the changes disabled people wanted to see. Widely toured and in regular demand, The Way Ahead remains a significant work of disability art and protest.
Historically, activism by disabled people through direct action has been essential in improving access, rights, and awareness. In spring 2021, inspired by her original exhibition, Caroline Cardus collaborated with four local disabled groups to amplify the voices of disabled people in Barnsley. This collaboration led to the creation of a new public artwork called The Barnsley 15.
The groups involved were ArtWorks South Yorkshire, Barnsley SEND Youth Forum, My Barnsley Too, and Wednesday’s Voice (part of Cloverleaf Advocacy). Due to the pandemic, the project was delayed from 2020 and had to adapt to remote participation. Caroline developed a poster worksheet that could be mailed to participants, along with a simple video to guide them through the process.
Despite the challenges, 75 individuals took part in the workshops, with 35 road sign ideas submitted. Caroline worked with these designs to create the final selection, which became The Barnsley 15.
The Barnsley 15 was installed in Mandela Gardens (S70 2HZ) in June 2021 and officially launched in September 2021.
In 2024, as part of Barnsley Civic’s ongoing collaboration with Netherwood Academy in Wombwell, we installed 10 signs from The Way Ahead collection in the school’s art department. Students were also invited to design a new road sign, and the chosen design—reflecting the experience of a young autistic woman ‘masking’ amongst neurotypicals—was added to the collection.
Mon – Sat: 10am – 4pm
The Box Office will remain open prior to all performances and up to 30 minutes after it starts.
Tues – Sat: 10am – 4pm
VAT No. 971720318 | Company No. 05811804 | Charity number 1129765 | “The Civic” is the trading name of Barnsley Civic Enterprise Ltd.
