Founded in 2008 by Cameron Mackenzie, Zee Zee Theatre has shared small stories by amplifying the voices of those on the margins for more than a decade. Named after Mackenzie’s Godmother, Maria José (Zee) Dias Da Silva Catarino Velloza, the company strives to live up to her memory and continue her work of building community and sharing stories from those we don’t often hear from. From our first production in 2009, Whale Riding Weather, to 2016’s huge hit, Elbow Room Cafe: The Musical, Zee Zee continues to drive conversations with diverse audiences on stages across Vancouver. We foster original artistic voices, and engage new and diverse audiences by developing performance in non-traditional spaces. We believe that theatre is for everyone, and that performance can encompass more than mainstream voices on large stages.
Through signature productions like My Funny Valentine, the company has established itself as having unique and provocative conversations with diverse audiences, offering recognizable situations with poignancy and building a connection with our surrounding community in order to inspire unity in shared human experience.
The company is devoted to paying all artists professional living wages and has relied on substantial fundraising, grant writing and community building in order to stick to that belief. But it remains true to the overall vision of the company: we simply cannot tell our stories if we are not supported.
Accolades
- 10 Jessie Richardson Theatre Award nominations
- The Georgia Straight Cover Story for Elbow Room Cafe: The Musical
- Outstanding Original Script by Emerging Playwright
- Outstanding Body of Work by Emerging Director
- The Georgia Straight’s 2014 Spring Preview Critics Pick
- Gay Vancouver 2011 Theatre Top Ten List
- Gay Vancouver 2010 Theatre Top Ten List