BIOGRAPHY
Holly Barnard is a British Director, Theatre Maker, and Digital Performance Artist. She holds an MA in Contemporary Performance Practice and a BA in Theatre and Performance from the University of Kent.
Based in Berlin since 2018, her artistic practice fuses digital media with bold, theatrical approaches. Her work ranges from intimate encounters—both live and virtual—to large-scale, feminist punk-pantomime performances. She explores themes of intimacy, liveness, and technology, with a particular interest in popular culture, kitsch, risk, and duration. At the core of her practice is the concept of co-presence—the shared experience between audience and performance in time and space.
Barnard has collaborated with institutions such as the National Theatre in London, the Schaubühne, Komische Oper, English Theatre Berlin, and Platypus Theatre, alongside creating and presenting her own independent work.
She works both solo and as part of Thesmo Kollektiv, a Berlin-based theatre collective founded in 2020. Thesmo Kollektiv is an international group with diverse performance backgrounds, rooted in feminist motivations and a commitment to accessibility. Their creative process is collaborative, experimental, and collage-like.
Barnard also works closely with artist Jonny Goode. Together, they investigate themes of sexuality, identity, and intimacy through the lens of technology.
Based in Berlin since 2018, her artistic practice fuses digital media with bold, theatrical approaches. Her work ranges from intimate encounters—both live and virtual—to large-scale, feminist punk-pantomime performances. She explores themes of intimacy, liveness, and technology, with a particular interest in popular culture, kitsch, risk, and duration. At the core of her practice is the concept of co-presence—the shared experience between audience and performance in time and space.
Barnard has collaborated with institutions such as the National Theatre in London, the Schaubühne, Komische Oper, English Theatre Berlin, and Platypus Theatre, alongside creating and presenting her own independent work.
She works both solo and as part of Thesmo Kollektiv, a Berlin-based theatre collective founded in 2020. Thesmo Kollektiv is an international group with diverse performance backgrounds, rooted in feminist motivations and a commitment to accessibility. Their creative process is collaborative, experimental, and collage-like.
Barnard also works closely with artist Jonny Goode. Together, they investigate themes of sexuality, identity, and intimacy through the lens of technology.
AWARDS
2024
Amt für Kultur und Weiterbildung - Bezirkamt Tempelhof Schöneberg
2022
karus-Preis - Nominiert für iTalk, Jugendkulturservice
2021
Take Action! Grant for Fonds Darstellende Kunst
2020
Stipendium des Senats für Kunst und Kultur: Kulturprojekte Berlin
2020
#takecare gewähren, Fonds Darstellende Kunst, 2020
Amt für Kultur und Weiterbildung - Bezirkamt Tempelhof Schöneberg
2022
karus-Preis - Nominiert für iTalk, Jugendkulturservice
2021
Take Action! Grant for Fonds Darstellende Kunst
2020
Stipendium des Senats für Kunst und Kultur: Kulturprojekte Berlin
2020
#takecare gewähren, Fonds Darstellende Kunst, 2020