Aisling Gallagher

Theatre Director Artist Creative Access Practitioner Access Worker

My pronouns are they/them

Aisling Gallagher (they/them) is a disabled Irish director, artist and creative access practitioner who makes work that disrupts what is considered normal, assumed and appropriate. Aisling is Creative Director at Queens Theatre Hornchurch, and previously worked as Agent for Change at Theatre Royal Stratford East.

Credits

Directing
Invisible Animal by Tom Manning, Sarah Verghese Productions, Omnibus Theatre, 3 weeks, 2023
Where the Magic Happens by Sam Obigbesan and Lisle Turner, Co-directed with Claire Coaché, Produced by Turtle Key Arts for JOY Festival at Lyric Hammersmith, 2022
Illusions of Liberty by Lorna Wells Applecart Arts / The King’s Head, streamed performances, 2021, Online OnComm Offie nominated

Assisting
2022 - Development workshop for major adaptation by Ben Power, dir. Ian Rickson, National Theatre Studio
2021 - Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World by Chris Bush & Miranda Cooper, dir. Amy Hodge
2021 - Nasty by Megan Prescott development workshop, dir. Christa Harris

Creative Access Practice and Access Consultancy
2023 - Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, Complicité, dir. Simon McBurney
2023 - Stray Dogs by Theo Chester, Theatre503, UK
2023 - Young Vic Genesis Future Directors Award, UK
2022 - Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World by Chris Bush & Miranda Cooper, Kenny Wax/Southampton MAST national tour, UK
2021 - Spare Tyre, London, UK
2022 - No Mad by Nell Hardy, Arcola Theatre, UK

Commissions
2023 - The Lives of Disabled People, Ripon Museum Trust, UK
2023 - Home is where the (he)art is, Lewisham Homes Community Investment Fund, UK
2020 - The Library Presents… In Your House, Good Behaviour, Cambridgeshire County Council, UK
2020 - Safe & Sound?, Good Behaviour for Sydenham Arts, London, UK
2020 - Conversations / Future Selves, Good Behaviour, Y Lab/Arts Council Wales, UK

Residencies
2023 - Wysing Arts Centre with Into the Wild, UK
2022 - Tyre Pressure Laboratory for Liberty Festival, London, UK
2021 - Theatre Centre, UK
2020 - Festival Echoes for Festival Stoke, UK

Training

Into the Wild, Chisenhale Studios, 2023
The Optimists, China Plate, 2021
DaDaFest Artist Development Programme, 2020
Centre for Accessible Environments Pathways Programme, 2019
Graeae Discover, 2019

Professional experience:
Creative Director, Queens Theatre Hornchurch - 2023 - present
Agent for Change, Theatre Royal Stratford East, 2020 - 2023
Trustee, Inclusion London, 2021 - current
Trustee, Southwark Law Centre, 2021 - current
Labour Councillor for Lewisham Central, 2018 - 2022
Trustee, The Albany, 2019 - 2021
Researcher, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 2017 - 2021
Caseworker, Creation Trust, 2018 - 2020
Research Assistant + Volunteer Coordinator, Attitude is Everything, 2015 - 2018
MA Gender, Media & Culture, Goldsmiths College, 2014 - 2016

Location

London

Experience

2-5 years

Art forms / Disciplines

  • Crafts
  • Live art
  • Multi-disciplinary / cross art form
  • New technologies / digital
  • Other
  • Radio/Audio
  • Theatre / Live perfomance
  • Visual arts

What I do

  • Access consultancy (including BSL, audio-description and neurodiversity)
  • Creative Access
  • Directing
  • Dramaturgy
  • Facilitating
  • Music - Can Read
  • Music - Plays Instruments
  • Music - Singing
  • Performance Art
  • Producing
  • Teaching / Coaching
  • Theatre making
  • Verbatim theatre
  • Working with Deaf artists
  • Working with Deaf non-professional adults / children
  • Working with disabled artists
  • Working with disabled non-professional adults / children
  • Working with learning disabled adults / children
  • Working with learning disabled artists
  • Working with young people
  • Working with young people with special educational needs
  • Working within a Community / with community participants
  • Workshopping & Development
  • Writing

Additional Languages

I'm currently learning BSL and in the process of gaining my L1 qualification

Social

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