Community, Participation & Cultural Practice

Jonah’s practice is rooted in the belief that theatre and the arts should be accessible, open, diverse and genuinely enjoyable. He has extensive experience facilitating creative work with people of all ages and backgrounds, developing projects that place participation, collaboration and lived experience at their centre.

His work spans community arts, education, creative ageing, young people and families, custodial settings, cultural institutions and participatory research. Alongside his artistic practice, Jonah has significant experience developing and managing projects, building partnerships and creating the conditions for meaningful collaboration between artists, communities and organisations.

Creating opportunities through the arts

Jonah is currently co-managing Birds, Bees, Bikes and Trees, a National Lottery Climate Action Fund project bringing together creativity, communities and environmental action. The project was recently recognised through inclusion in The Big Issue’s 100 Changemakers of 2026, reflecting its wider social and cultural impact.

He is also a co-founder of Timbadash Theatre CIO, a multi-sensory theatre company creating work for children and young adults. The company has developed a strong local and national audience through its highly accessible and engaging approach to theatre, and has subsequently transitioned into a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).
More about Timbadash Theatre www.timbadashtheatre.com

Jonah’s current work with The Bowes Museum, NOVUS and HMP Deerbolt and Kirklevington forms part of the three-year Unheard Voices project. The project has supported learners in custodial settings to engage creatively with the museum and its collections. Their work has been presented through exhibitions at The Bowes Museum and has culminated in HMP Deerbolt’s first permanent exhibition to be completely co-created with learners.

Explore Unheard Voices at The Bowes Museum - https://thebowesmuseum.org.uk/learn/unheard-voices/

Jonah has also recently completed filming with Woven Nest Theatre for Milk Two Sugars, a production exploring creative ageing and hydration within care home settings.

Young people, families and communities

During his time as a Creative Associate with Seven Stories, Jonah worked extensively within the Byker community, collaborating with local primary schools through the Bringing Byker Together programme. He also worked with North East Young Dads and Lads on the Reading Together programme. This work contributed to the development of Seven Stories’ first permanent exhibition.

Jonah has developed a particularly strong relationship with North East Young Dads and Lads, working with the organisation in a range of capacities including sessional worker, Senior Project Leader, Project Manager and consultant. He also developed DigiDAD, a bespoke e-learning platform designed specifically for young fathers, combining creative practice with accessible digital learning.

His work with young people extends nationally through his involvement with the National Theatre Connections Festival, alongside freelance artistic and facilitation work with young people in a range of educational, community and cultural settings.

Working across institutions and disciplines

Jonah’s community and participatory practice is closely connected to his wider work with cultural organisations, universities, researchers and professional partners. He has collaborated with organisations including BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, The Bowes Museum, Seven Stories, Newcastle University, Northumbria University, University of Lincoln, NOVUS Education, HMP Deerbolt, Street Law and Byker Community Trust to name a few.

These collaborations have required Jonah to work across artistic development, facilitation, project management, research, evaluation and partnership working. His practice is therefore not simply about delivering creative activity; it is about developing thoughtful, sustainable projects in which artists, communities, researchers and institutions can work together effectively.

A practice built around participation

Across this work, Jonah is interested in what happens when people are given the opportunity to contribute creatively on their own terms.

Whether working with young fathers, children and families, young people, older people, people in custodial settings or communities facing barriers to cultural participation, he aims to create environments that are welcoming, ambitious, playful and genuinely collaborative.

For Jonah, participation is not an additional layer of an artistic project. It is a central part of how he understands theatre and cultural practice: making work with people, not simply for them.

""Jonah fully understood the brief and what we needed to create and produced excellent content that prompted thinking and discussion at our events. He always takes an incredibly professional approach to his work and is hugely responsive and flexible." - Proffesor Anna Tarrant, University of Lincoln 

UKRI Future Leaders Fellow/Associate Professor of Sociology

Co-editor of Sociological Research Online