Burong Zeng
(She/Her)
Burong Zeng is a playwright, theatre producer and live art practitioner-researcher based in Beijing and London. Zeng has exhibited and performed internationally while writing journal articles, interviews, plays, short novels and books.
Her doctoral research at the University of Sussex investigated how ‘sticky’ and viscous materials used by women and non-binary artists can broaden the scope of thinking about embodiment, otherness, gender and body politics.
www.burongz.wixsite.com/burong
@ZengBurong
Photo credit: Sushri Sangita Puhan.
Image Description: An Asian woman with short black hair and purple eyeglass frames wears a black dress with white flower illustrations and a thin black choker, sitting in front of a blurred, multicoloured tinsel background.
Burong wanted to utilise the bursary to secure mentoring as she establishes herself as a freelance producer, and to support her development of a project exploring UK/China Connections.
Audio File of Burong’s reflections:
I wanted to make time for self-care and self-development of creative producing for a while. Trapped in a vicious cycle of work stress and burnout, I had accepted the precarious reality of being overworked and underpaid as a self-produced artist through my 20s. In most circumstances, I only cared about getting things done within a tight budget and timeline, often feeling guilty for slowing down and taking care of myself.
However, after being diagnosed with ADHD and respiratory illness during the pandemic, I realised adopting a sustainable lifestyle has to become my top priority. The Producer Gathering Bursary enabled me to explore the possibilities of working freelance without routinely overworking and over-accommodating. I am particularly grateful to talk with senior producers in live art, such as Alessandra, Tarik, Sally, and the cohort of the Small Group Conversations by The Clore Leadership. I have benefited from studying online recourses from The Uncultured, Producer Gathering, and performingborders. I found Jack Tan’s online easy-read artist contract template helpful to protect myself as a freelancer and cut toxic working relationships loose. This bursary continues to support me to join Facciocose Theatre and Yewande 103’s producer programmes in March and April.
I am just at the beginning of practising knowledge from this journey, only made possible by the Producer Gathering Bursary. Thank you for making me feel brave enough to slow down, embrace uncertainty, and reclaim my creative confidence.
