Cheryl Gallacher
(She/Her)
Migration Stories: Art as Activism was a bursary initiative supporting producers passionate about using art to tell migration stories and drive activism.
Designed to help producers feel resourced in their professional development, the bursary championed work engaging with a subject that impacts millions globally.
Migration Stories: Art as Activism was a bursary initiative supporting producers passionate about using art to tell migration stories and drive activism.
Designed to help producers feel resourced in their professional development, the bursary championed work engaging with a subject that impacts millions globally.
A self-producing artist and theatre practitioner.
For the last year, arts and wellbeing practitioner Drashti Shah and I have been working with Waling Waling, a group supporting the rights of migrant domestic workers. We have been exploring how we use performance to share the groups’ existing activism and solidarity with audiences, tell their stories, and raise public awareness for their Campaign to Restore the Domestic Workers’ Visa.
My work as a producer on the project has been voluntary so far, so this bursary is vital to providing the space and time needed to reflect on our work and plan for the future of the performance project – and how it supports the Campaign.
How will you utilise the bursary?
Cheryl will use this bursary to take time and space to review the performance and activism programme she has been working on for the past year with practitioner Drashti Shah and Waling Waling, a grassroots organisation fighting to gain basic living and working rights for Migrant domestic workers. This bursary is crucial to Cheryl having time to support the group. We will review the work so far but also plan a strong and clear strategy and partner with other organisations so we can take performances nationwide to raise awareness of the campaign.
Image description: A headshot of a white woman in her late 30s. She has black hair and is wearing a black top.
For more information about Waling Waling and the Campaign: https://www.waling-waling.org.uk/
Bursary Reflection
As a producer on a drama project with a group of migrant domestic workers called Waling Waling. At that time, we were running the project without any prior funding, relying on the goodwill of volunteers. Additionally, we were trying to raise money through GoFundMe, which proved to be very challenging.
Producer Gathering’s support enabled me to have the space and the time to recalibrate the project. With the £1k from Producer Gathering, I was able to take time away from my paid work to look at possible funding sources, develop new collaborations, and think about an expanded version of the project, which included talks and performances, and ended up happening around International Migrants Day in December 2025. I was also able to take a breather and think about the most sustainable way of running the project. Additionally, I was able to travel to a migration event in Bristol to meet leaders of grassroots migrants groups, who could collaborate with us in the future and support the next iteration of the work.
