Zoë van der Velde

Zoë van der Velde is graduating from the ArtEZ School of Acting in Arnhem. She is a musical and physical performer who works from a strong sense of inner connection. This instinct forms the foundation of both her acting and theatre-making. Her work focuses on expanding the range of female roles and repertoire while making stories of love between women more visible. She is unafraid to engage with complex subjects, including mental health. As a performer, she values vulnerability and honesty, believing theatre to be a place where comfort, joy, recognition, and genuine connection can emerge.

During her graduation year, Zoë interned with *BEEST*, a production by Theater Sonnevanck directed by Mart van Berckel. *BEEST* is a musical reimagining of *Beauty and the Beast*, featuring live cello, roaring chainsaws, and original compositions by Lavalu (Mariëlle Woltring). The production offers a fresh perspective on the classic fairy tale, creating a magical story about loneliness, living in a body that is perceived as different, and the healing power of friendship and imagination.

For her graduation thesis, Zoë explored the concept of the female gaze through the work of Basje Boer and Wende Snijders. Her conclusion was that the conversation is less about the female gaze than about the non-male gaze. Building on these ideas, she created and performed her graduation production *Lucy Plays Lucy*, about a woman who attempts to control the world around her through alcohol, drugs, and acting. Featuring original music and an adaptation of *People, Places and Things*, the production was created in collaboration with Rosa van Leeuwen and presents a playful, humorous, layered, and deeply musical female character.

Zoë is excited to discover what the professional field has to offer her—and what she has to offer in return. She hopes to create and perform complex female characters, tell stories about women who love women, and embrace characters that are unapologetically monstrous. Youth theatre, music theatre, text-based theatre, musicals—she is ready to explore them all.