Zuzana Fort

Dear fellow storytellers and story lovers,

A long time ago, I lost my voice. As a child refugee, I have lost my voice. As a sexual assault victim, I have lost my voice. As a mental illness patient, I have lost my voice. As a woman in a man’s world, I have lost my voice. Today, I reclaim my right to speak, to be heard. Today I stand proud and tall, so hear me roar.

I experienced the highs of fame as well as its lows, including stalkers and sexual assault. I spent a year of my life in a refugee camp with nothing but hope and plenty of uncertainty. As a mental illness sufferer, I have struggled with an eating disorder, depression, and debilitating anxiety, and I have had to learn to cope with Tourette’s. As a mother, I have grown wings and learned to fly. I have discovered my voice.

I have a diverse background that I bring to my work. How do I fit the diverse category? Let’s see: Female, Eastern European, Slav, Jewish descent, ESL background, over 40 (ouch), dealing with a mental illness (double ouch), a survivor of sexual assault, and a single mother of racially mixed children. Need I say more? Let’s add a clown for good measure.

My dream is to allow other voices to be heard. I work with refugees, kids at risk, abused women, people living with disability, and gifted and talented people. All people who are often silenced. I genuinely want to give voice to the voiceless, to make the invisible visible and to create strong characters, particularly female ones, that represent the minorities, the disfranchised of the world. I hope to point out the atrocities and inequalities of today’s world and perhaps bring about a change. I want to inspire others to have the confidence to stand up and be heard. I want to create stories of those who fall into the cracks in today’s crazy world. That said, my passion is to tell stories, entertain, provide reprieve, and empower.

I am a storyteller. I transport my audiences to places beyond imagination, to worlds beyond belief. I have always been a storyteller, ever since I can remember. I published my own newspaper at the ripe age of 8 with the grand readership and subscription of 5. Most were family members, and each was required to purchase their own copy. Borrowing was strictly prohibited. Each issue was unique, typed up on a rusty typewriter and individually illustrated by yours truly. Eventually, I progressed to writing for my school theatre troupe. This was partly motivated by the fact that we were able to skip classes in order to rehearse and perform. I have left my school years behind, but not my dislike of math and my love of storytelling. Overcoming my natural aversion to schools, I ventured into Tertiary education.

I am now a professionally trained actor (BA in theatre) and a scriptwriter (BA in Communication). My work has, up to now, focused primarily on live performance. I have written numerous scripts for the stage for professional and educational, and amateur productions. I have worked with large community groups as well as small intimate ensembles. My dream, however, is to move into the realm of film and TV.

To conclude, some say you cannot teach an old dog new tricks. I am here to prove that wrong. I may not be a spring chicken, but my age gives me focus, dedication and stubborn determination to succeed. Will you be my guide? Will you allow me to travel beside you and learn so I can then encourage, inspire, and guide others?