Meet our Team

Sally Rennie

Finance Officer

Sally began her career in the arts at Borderline Theatre when she was but a young thing… Since those heady days of the Big 5 touring theatre companies, she has worked in administration, finance and general management for subsidised and commercial touring theatre as well as being venue based. Sally was delighted to get the chance to work in her home town of Ayr when the once closed Gaiety Theatre in Ayr re-opened in 2012 and she was General Manager until 2023. She now works freelance in arts management and finance and is also Treasurer for Audio Description Scotland. In her spare time, Sally enjoys treading the boards with her local theatre group, The Ayr Fort Players.

Liam Russell

Director of Up Yer Airts

Liam Russell, Director of Arts D&G’s youth strand UP YER AIRTS, is a creative professional based in Dumfries and Galloway. With over a decade of experience working across the region’s creative industries, Liam has spent the past five years serving as the creative lead behind UP YER AIRTS, a pioneering programme that breaks new ground in providing accessible and transformative opportunities for young people to develop their creative practice and shape future careers in the cultural sector. Since joining the Arts D&G team in 2020, Liam has been instrumental in building and driving the project from the ground up, leading to a bold and ambitious programme of activities planned for 2025 and beyond. UP YER AIRTS has been established as a trailblazing platform for experiential learning, empowering young people to push creative boundaries, build confidence in their creative skills, and forge clear pathways into the creative industries.

Aisling Anderson

Marketing and Communications Officer

Aisling has worked professionally in the creative industry for a number of years, splitting her time between Dumfries and Galloway and Edinburgh. Aisling has been a part of the Arts D&G Team for almost two years, having started as an intern in October 2023. Her role within the organisation was quickly made permanent, and she took on additional responsibility working with Liam on the brand identity and launch of youth initiative UP YER AIRTS. Aisling is also the Creative Producer of Performance Collective Stranraer, another important youth organisation for the region's cultural scene. Prior to her work with Arts D&G, Aisling secured her First Class Honours Degree in Drama at Queen Margaret University, and worked freelance as a Producer in and around Edinburgh, including at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Dani Rae

Dani Rae is Managing Director of Assembly Festival, the longest running multi-venue operator on the Edinburgh Fringe. Over the last 20+ years, Dani has worked with some of the UK and Europe's leading arts organisations including: Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, Aurora Nova, Imaginate, Tron Theatre, Scottish Opera, Stellar Quines, Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival and Live Theatre. Assembly also produces the Edinburgh Food Festival and with partners Unique Events, Edinburgh’s Christmas and Edinburgh’s Hogmanay. Originally from Dumfries & Galloway, Dani is proud to be part of Arts D&G, an integral part of the arts and cultural landscape of the region.

Mark Lister

Mark has worked in theatres from Aberdeen to Arnhem doing every job from general manager to ice cream seller for the last fifty years. After 10 years as an actor, he retreated backstage as production manager, director, lighting designer and set designer in commercial theatre. He spent eight years as production manager at Oldham Coliseum and has been General Manager of Harlow Playhouse and the Lowther Pavilion in Lytham St. Annes. For the last ten years he has been back home in Scotland as Director of the Theatre Royal Dumfries – Scotland’s oldest theatre. Mark lives in Moniaive with his actress / director / writer partner Sue McCormick.

Pete Renwick

Peter has been involved in the arts since he started to organize club nights in his 20’s, had a stint as producer of Beltane Fire Festival, at the time Europe’s biggest fire festival, and worked freelance on a variety of projects such as Big Man Walking, the Edinburgh Mela and Hogmanay celebrations. Since moving to Dumfries & Galloway in 2009 he has run over 1,500 live events across the region. From 2009-2018 Pete worked with the Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival as its Development Officer then its Program Director. He then had a stint away from the arts working with SURF – Scotland Regeneration Forum - in Langholm, where he supported the Tarris Valley Community buy-out. He took up role as CatStrand’s Creative Director in 2021, which is clearly one of the best small venues to be found anywhere

Claudia Wood

Claudia has worked in music education for over 10 years, and teaches piano and singing in Dumfries & Galloway. As an opera singer, she enjoys performing both locally and nationally. Before returning to the region, Claudia worked for Wiltshire Music Connect, Wiltshire’s former music education hub for schools (now GSW Music Hub), supporting teachers to deliver a broad range of music-making activity for children and young people. Growing up in rural Scotland, Claudia understands the challenges faced by emerging artists living in the region and is passionate about access to live music, as well as creating pathways to professional work locally and further afield.

Luke Welch

Luke is a performer who has lived in Dumfries & Galloway since 2012. He participated in weekly drama workshops at the Studio Theatre in Moffat (formerly Moffat Youth Theatre) and has previously performed in shows and helped facilitate workshops there. Luke has been involved with several arts organisations including Performance Collective Stranraer, Paragon Music, Make Change/Collective and most recently, Bear Pursuit theatre company. From a young age, Luke has particularly enjoyed the art of comedy. Having been inspired by several comedians in recent years, he has performed stand-up comedy routines at various open mics across the country. In 2023, Luke participated in the ‘Soundwave’ project led by Liam Russell and co-wrote two songs, ‘Last Protest’ and ‘Fever’.

Alex Rigg

Alex makes sculpture, design, poetry, film and live events. His work plays with concepts of art outside its accepted form. He trained as an archaeological illustrator, blacksmith, fine-artist, dancer, writer, timber-framer and costume designer. His work is off-beat and experimental, collaborating with many leading artists and companies. He am the Artistic Director of dance-performance company called Oceanallover taking poetic work into unusual places. His work borrows from many influences and genres, making reference to film, literature and popular culture and is often linked to global and philosophical concerns that encourages the viewer to look harder at who and what they are. His work is often site-responsive, creating pieces that draw on the people and places for which they are made.

Sarah Dhesi

Sarah was brought up near Aberdeen and studied at Strathclyde University. Whilst there she was a member of Strathclyde Theatre Group and appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe and, a highlight, performed in Orkney for George Mackay Brown. She currently lives near Annan and is in the process of trying to retire. She has acted frequently with Langholm Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society and also appears with the fabulous Galloway Consort. She loves going to the theatre and to the ballet and is devoted to my three rescue cats. She also volunteers at beautiful St Michael’s Church in Dumfries.

Wren Winters

Wren Winters is the Project Coordinator for The Stove Network, where they work across a range of creative projects, including The Wild Goose Festival, The What We Do Now Network, and the Print House. Outside of the Stove, Wren has worked as a development consultant for organisations such as The Wigtown Book Festival and is further passionate about creating events that celebrate the region's natural and cultural heritage. Wren began their career working as a volunteer manager and disability advocate back in the United States. They moved to Dumfries and Galloway in 2022 to pursue a master's degree in sustainable tourism, and are proud to call it home.