Launchpad - Zoe Bullock

Photo by Thomas Byron Photography
Photo by Thomas Byron Photography

Theatre for young audiences has produced some of the most exhilarating experiences I’ve had both as an audience member and as a performer. Young people force you to strip away all pretension and ego and tell good stories with commitment and imagination – they have formed some of the most insightful, uncompromising and passionate audiences I’ve ever seen. Working with Imaginate so far has been a joy, and I’m very excited about the opportunity that Launchpad has given me to get this project off the ground, and to expand my horizons in theatre for young people!

—Zoe Bullock

Zoe is a writer and performer based in Glasgow, interested in fantasy, escapism, and exploring human questions through fantastical lenses. Zoe is particularly excited in interrogating the idea of the Anthropocene and discussing how humans – both individually and as a species – can navigate our changing world, finding ways to coexist with both each other and the environment. Zoe will be developing the initial script and ideas for the show Shō and the Demons of the Deep, inspired by the picture book of the same name, by Annouchka Galouchko.

Shō has lived in a tenement flat above the Clyde all her life, plagued by nightmares that won’t leave her alone. She is not alone; across the city, people stuff their old nightmares into bottles and jars until they are bursting at the seams. One day Shō finds a new way to get rid of her nightmares, and everyone is delighted. But when a deadly cost to this new method raises its head, Shō must travel all the way down to the sea in order to save her city.

“I first read this story when I was about eight years old and it has stuck with me ever since. It’s about dealing with fear, responsibility and the environment, but it’s also just a beautiful story with an almost mythic quality, and there are some very exciting ideas to play with! I’m particularly looking forward to collaborating with a director and designer to find a new way of working that integrates visual design from the very start of the writing process. I can’t wait to find the best way of bringing this story to life and sharing it with more young imaginations.”