The People Speak People! – Zoe

Welcome to our micro-blog series where we will introduce some of the recent members of The People Speak team.

“Living in the present”

Zoë is an American theatre maker, facilitator, and educator based in London. She works with creators and communities around the globe to tell stories that prompt conversation and run workshops that create change. As a theatre maker, she recently worked with Audible and the BBC on their new podcast and play The Hijack. Previously, she worked with a young spoken word artist to develop Outgrown at Shoreditch Town Hall, and with Company Three to develop The Act at The Yard. She was a member of the Orange Tree Writers Collective, where she developed her new play Return. Her plays The Burning, The Net, and Define have premiered in Edinburgh and London.

As a facilitator and educator, Zoë has had the privilege to create and run a series of workshops for The Incident Project that spark conversations on race and privilege, and toured in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and London. She has also worked with Rewrite, bringing newly arrived refugees and born-and-bred Londoners together through creative writing. She believes that play and creativity are the best ways to spark change.

Working with the People Speak has been one of the best things about the insane year that is 2020. In a time of so much isolation and anxiety, the People Speak events have reintroduced me to the power of fun, silliness, and connection. Whether it’s moderating Aberfeldy Live or facilitating the Tree of Success networking event for Waltham Forest, I have learned that collective laughter is one of the best tonics in this time. Collaborating with the People Speak has taught me loads of other small lessons: how to create legitimate connection and fun over Zoom; that sometimes outright silliness is the best way to unearth new ideas; and that, as a facilitator, I can really trust my participants and audience to take the lead. In 2021, I’m most looking forward to getting in a real life room filled with real life strangers and experiencing moments of collective fun and joy in person together.

Check out Zoe’s website www.zoe-guzysprague.com

This entry was posted on Monday, February 15th, 2021 at 4:39 pm. It is filed under blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.