Alison Burnley is a creative producer with a focus on supporting communities and emerging artists to share their stories through theatre, ceremony and song. Whether reimagining folk tales and feasting on medieval bread; or contemplating what we’re thankful for whilst lighting floating bonfires, she creates experiential works that provoke the mind and gives voice to communities.
Alison has worked in numerous producing roles throughout her eighteen-year career, including co-founding a not-for-profit community arts organisation in Merseyside, freelancing with the BBC as area manager/producer delivering participatory events for young people and as Community Engagement Manager at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
Alison has returned to live permanently in Scotland after eight years in Australia, where she produced works for major institutions such as BrisAsia, Brisbane Festival, State Library of Queensland and Woodfordia Inc.
Rite of passage and communities are at the heart of her work. Since becoming a mother, Alison’s passion for supporting women in their momentous rite of passage of matrescence (it’s a real word – go have a google) has developed, and as such she has trained as a matrescence facilitator and postnatal doula and launched community project, The Mama Circle.
Alongside her regular producing and community engagement work, Alison is currently exploring how her motherhood work and arts practice can work contemporaneously with one another to support families to create and share stories, build nurturing ritual into parenthood and foster belonging within the mothering community.
After eight years down under Alison’s first UK gig was with Edinburgh-based Oi Musica on their mass participation song project for COP26, Let it Grow, in collaboration with The Soundhouse Choir and Karine Polwart. She is looking forward to what comes next in her homecoming story, to rekindling old collaborations and beginning new ones.
alisonburnley.com 