Karl is the Barnaby Festival Director

Macclesfield Barnaby Festival has announced that Karl Wallace will take up the role of Festival Director as of July 2015. The 14-month, part-time contract will see Wallace relocate to Macclesfield to head up Barnaby 2016, developing an extensive cultural programme and leading the volunteer teams.

Karl comes to Barnaby with a significant and complete arts background. Originally from London, his arts career spans twenty years working mainly in the UK and latterly in Ireland as a venue manager, curator, award-winning International festival director, theatre producer and director. Karl’s career highlights include his time as Chief Executive and Creative Director of The National Folk Theatre of Ireland, Festival Director of the international ‘Unfringed Festival’, Limerick, and Creative Director for Limerick City of Culture, with responsibility for developing a year-long award winning programme of local, national and international events.

Commenting on his appointment Karl enthused ‘I am delighted to be joining Macclesfield Barnaby Festival and to be relocating to the town. Festivals have a way of making you see the space where you live and work in a new light and Barnaby is no exception. What makes this festival so unique and exciting is the way it brings the town together to celebrate and engage in the arts. I am hoping that I can further develop this for 2016 to encourage as many as possible to get involved, and share their ideas’

Chair of the Trustees, Lynne Jones added ‘Karl was an outstanding candidate and we’re really excited about having a director with his experience and creativity. He completely ‘gets’ Barnaby – its history, its grassroots origins, its quirkiness – and shares our ambition for the future of the festival and the town.  We can’t wait!

A Festival & Volunteer Coordinator appointment will be announced shortly and a Visual Arts Coordinator is to be recruited in September 2015.