When every theatre in the country was closed due to the pandemic, actor and producer Zoë Sweet decided it was the perfect time to make a new play.
An eternally glass-half-full kind of human, Sweet pulled a few friends together around a picnic table and the result is Why It’s imPossible, a dark and funny look at parenting in precarious times, which premieres September 2024.
When not creating original Canadian theatre, Zoë can be found raising three vibrant kiddos in Kingston Ontario and serving as an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Drama at Queen’s University. Raised in Ottawa, Zoë worked in the Toronto theatre scene for 16 years, before she and her husband Michael Wheeler made the move 2.5 hours east.
Zoë is the kind of person whose artistry runs through every aspect of her life. She’s someone who can redesign a hallway closet into a bespoke bathroom. Who can pick up watercolours on a whim? Who can rock a red lip on a Tuesday? Spend five minutes with her and you’ll be struck by her big heart and her bigger sense of adventure. So much so that you might be convinced to write a play with her and that brighter days are always ahead.
-Written by Sophia Fabiilli, friend and collaborator
***
What ‘hood do you live in?
We live in Kingston and we recently moved to a new neighbourhood called Strathcona Park. We were in the Inner Harbour for 5 years, but found our 160-year-old limestone duplex was busting at the seams with our family of 5 – so we moved a little further away from downtown in order to achieve a bit more space. I keep telling myself that if this were in Toronto, it would still be considered DOWNTOWN (it’s a 12-minute bike straight down the main street in Kingston), but it definitely feels a bit suburban for my liking. We moved from Toronto in 2016 when my partner, Michael Wheeler, who runs Spiderwebshow Performance secured a residency at Queen’s.
What do you do?
I’m primarily a theatre artist who fills in the gaps by teaching acting and movement at the DAN School of Drama and Music at Queen’s University. If one has to have a secondary gig, I couldn’t ask for a better one.
What are you currently working on?
I’m currently working on a one-woman show called Why It’s imPossible with the hot, hot, hot playwright Sophia Fabiilli and director extraordinaire Evalyn Parry. The play is a beautiful, hilarious examination of parenting in precarious times. Born out of the pandemic, Sophia, myself and Sarah Kitz of The Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa amassed our efforts and started cooking up this little baby. Four years later, she’s ready to take her first steps!
Where can we find your work?
Why It’s imPossible will premiere in Kingston at the Grand Theatre from September 19 – 29, 2024 and then will be in Ottawa for a run at GCTC from January 21 – February 2, 2025!
