Born and raised in Chicago, Zed Hope Simon spent their childhood with their nose in a book. Their parents took them to the theatre often as a child, and they saw their first Broadway show (RENT) at age fourteen, at which point Zed decided New York would be their future home. Zed graduated as valedictorian of their high school and then chose to "waste their good grades and intelligence" and moved to New York to attend the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. After three and a half years at Playwrights Horizons Theatre School and a semester abroad in Madrid, Spain (Zed is relatively fluent in Spanish), they graduated with honors from NYU with a BFA in theatre, and currently reside in Brooklyn.

Zed is a multi-disciplinary theatre artist currently working as an actor, playwright, fight choreographer, and (very) occasional lighting designer. As a queer, non-binary, artist, Zed seeks to create and be a part of projects that promote intersectionality and equality, challenge authority, and magnify, celebrate, and question modern life in a theatrical landscape. They are passionate about voice and speech and are trained in many types of dance as well as every weapon offered by the Society of American Fight Directors.

Zed spent several summers performing as a part of the New York Renaissance Faire fight company, including portraying the (not-quite-period-appropriate) historical pirate Mary Read. Their short play, Meteorite, was produced as part of two virtual festivals in the fall of 2020. They recently finished their first full-length play, Watchlist, which was produced at The Tank in NYC in February 2020 (find out more here). Zed is a proud founding company member of Alterra Productions immersive theatre ensemble (now based in Philadelphia) - check them out here.

In the summer of 2018 Zed began evolving from a ground performer in the circus to an aerialist, training in flying trapeze. For videos of their progress, visit their instagram by clicking the pink icon at the bottom of the page!

Besides theatre and circus, Zed has a love of 70s and 80s rock music and a constant need to yell about the failings of capitalism. When not at work front of house on Broadway or in rehearsal, they can usually be found reading books on social justice and public policy, streaming retro JRPGs on twitch (with weekly corresponding podcast), or listening to vintage Bowie or Zeppelin records. They are also a podcaster on the Post Show Recaps network, covering a wide range of film, television, and video games. Shows they have covered include the final season of FX’s Pose, HBO Max series Our Flag Means Death and The Last of Us, The Artful Dodger on Hulu, and the Apple TV+ limited series WeCrashed and Extrapolations.