Young producers power up Goldthorpe as transformed Dearne Playhouse hosts e-gaming tournament

Young people worked together to design and host an exciting video games tournament at Goldthorpe’s Dearne Playhouse, the cultural hub transformed by investment under the Towns Fund programme.

The Game on Dearne event was curated by students from the Dearne recruited as young producers.

The free gaming showdown took place at The Pit, the modern meeting, rehearsal and events space created in the basement of the Playhouse as part of the Community and Cultural Hub Towns Fund project.

Game on Dearne brought together 80 gaming fans aged between 8 and 18 to play a selection of retro games and more up-to-date titles on consoles and screens across three rooms.

The event was a partnership project between Fusion – Barnsley's Cultural Partnership – local freelance artist Jack Riley, gaming events company Adaptive Gaming and Astrea Academy Dearne. It was funded by Barnsley Council's Cultural Development Fund and the Goldthorpe Town Deal.

Fusion is leading the Dearne Youth Legacy project, building on the success of the community musical Heart of the Wood and the Storying Goldthorpe youth creativity programme.

The project is using research and testing through pilot engagement activity to develop thinking around the appetite for arts engagement among young people in the Dearne.

Jack Riley and Todd Brand of Pitstop Productions were engaged to speak to 700 Year to 9 students at Astrea Dearne to recruit the team of young producers for the Dearne’s very first e-gaming tournament.

They delivered a strong digital creative careers message, aiming to raise aspiration and encourage young people to get involved in the Dearne Youth Legacy Project. 

The young people selected as producers planned and delivered the event while supported by professionals in the gaming sector. Barnsley College e-sports students also offered support during the tournament during October half-term.

Fusion aims to promote creative and digital careers through hands-on activity and by putting professionals in front of young people.

The young producers are now keen to get involved in other cultural projects across the borough.

Barnsley Council is delivering a package of projects in Goldthorpe and the Dearne using £23.1 million from the UK Government’s Towns Fund, with a strong cultural thread running through them.

The Horse and Groom Square at the heart of Goldthorpe features an inspiring mural designed and painted in collaboration with the community, while a collection of colourful murals on shop shutters in Goldthorpe high street was also supported by Towns Fund investment.

The Playhouse hosted three performances of The Heart of the Wood, a musical featuring local young people which paid tribute to the Dearne’s heritage.

Cllr Robin Franklin, cabinet spokesperson for regeneration and culture, said: “Towns Fund investment is powering up Goldthorpe and the Dearne and creating great opportunities for our young people to build their confidence and pick up new skills.

“The transformed Dearne Playhouse is not just a community theatre; it can now boast versatile spaces suitable for everything from music rehearsals and meetings to innovative events like the Game on Dearne tournament.

“Our vision is for Barnsley to be the place of possibilities for everyone, and the success of this fantastic event shows what our talented young people can achieve when they work together.”

Find out more about the Dearne Youth Legacy on the Storying Barnsley webpage and discover how Towns Fund investment is transforming Goldthorpe and the Dearne at barnsley.gov.uk/goldthorpe.