Paula Simms

Paula is an Award winning actress and freelance professional Director working nationally and Internationally; Portugal, Zambia, Germany. She is also founder member and Artistic Director of Zho Visual Theatre. Zho Visual Theatre was formed in 2004 and won acclaim working with the Liverpool Lantern Company to create the first Liverpool Lantern Carnival in Sefton Park Liverpool.
In 2008 the company were awarded a prestigious commission by the Liverpool Culture Company to produce The Quiet Little Englishman a site specific piece at The Park Palace Cinema for the City Of Culture Celebrations. The company also created a sound installation for the production and a dance film. The same year the company created a community film funded be the National Lottery celebrating the cultural life of this Historic building.
In 2013 Paula was one of two directors working alongside Frank Cottrell Boyce for Walk The Plank to create the award winning event The Return Of Colmcille for the City Of Derry year of culture celebrations.
Paula co-produced and performed in the Film Big Society The Musical a hard hitting film about the austerity cuts in Great Britain. The film was produced by First Take and opened the prestigious Labour Film Festival in Covent Garden in 2014.
Paula is also Artistic Director for The Zebu tall ship based at the Albert Dock and works regularly with Susan Hanley Place director of Mersey Heritage Trust to produce Theatre of The Sea on the Albert Dock. Previous productions have been created for The Liverpool Irish Festival and The River Festival
Paula is currently directing two new pieces of Theatre, The Clockwork Heart for The Unity Theatre Liverpool, and Home; collaboration with AnNua productions a multimedia company based in Derry. This production has been co funded by The British Council and is supported by Sydney University.
In 2014 Paula was invited to the Culturetech Festival in Derry to give a presentation about her work.

Academic appointments

Mentor, Drama, LIPA, 2015 - 2015