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Page 1

Kat
Francois
Bio

Kat
was
the
first
person
to
win
a
televised
slam
competition
in
the
U.K.

 In
2004
she
competed
against
poets
across
the
country
and
walked
away
with
 the
title
of
BBC
SLAM
champion.
She
then
went
on
to
compete
in
the
World
Slam
 championships
in
Rotterdam
in
2005
against
international
slam
champions
and
 also
came
away
with
the
title
of
World
Slam
Champion.
 
 Kat
is
well‐known
performance
poet
on
the
London
Poetry
scene.
She
is
resident
 poet
at
The
Theatre
Royal,
Stratford
East,
London,
where
she
hosts
and
organises
 a
monthly
poetry
and
music
night
called
WORD4WORD,
which
is
now
in
its
 eighth
year,
and
has
seen
many
great
poetry
talents
grace
the
stage.
 WORD4WORD
is
held
every
third
Sunday
of
the
month.
 
 Kat
also
hosts
and
organises
a
poetry,
music
and
Q
&
A
night
at
The
Poetry
Café
 Covent
Garden,
called
INTIMATES,
which
is
the
opposite
of
WORD4WORD,
a
 small
intimate
venue
where
poets
and
authors
read
and
share
their
work,
join
in
 discussions,
and
take
part
in
word
games.
Held
every
first
Friday
of
the
month.


Kat
has
been
performing
for
approx
ten
years
 and
has
performed
numerous
times
 nationally
and
internationally.
Kat
Francois
is
 also
an
educator
using
performance
poetry
 and
creative
writing
to
tackle
social
issues
 with
children
and
adults.
A
regular
performer
 on
BBC
radio,
Kat
has
released
a
spoken
 word
CD
entitled
BLESSED
BY
WORDS
and
is
 published
in
a
number
of
poetry
magazines
 and
anthologies.
Her
first
written
collection
 of
poetry
RYHME
AND
REASON
was
 published
in
February
2008.
 
 
 
 
 
 Kat
has
also
performed
on
television
and
took
part
in
an
episode
of
Blue
Peter
 and
also
stared
in
the
BIG
POETRY
SLAM,
an
educational
television
programme
 which
was
filmed
in
2007,
but
is
still
being
aired.
 
 Kat
has
also
been
forging
a
name
for
herself
in
theatre.
Her
first
theatre
piece
 SEVEN
TIMES
ME,
a
solo
theatre
show
written
and
performed
by
Kat
Francois,
 directed
by
Dawn
Reid
(Funny
Black
Women
On
the
Edge,
The
Harder
they
 Come),
has
toured
nationally
and
internationally,
including
the
Edinburgh
Fringe
 Festival
2007
where
the
show
received
four
star
reviews,
and
the
Adelaide
 Fringe
Festival,
Australia
2008.
 
 She
has
also
written
and
performed
a
one
woman
play
called
RAISING
LAZARUS,
 charting
the
journey
 of
West
Indian
 soldiers
who
came
to
 England
to
fight
 during
the
First
World
 War,
which
was
first
 performed
in
2009.
 Also
directed
By
Dawn
 Reid
the
show
 premiered
to
a
sell
out
 audience
in
the
studio
 space
of
the
Theatre
 Royal
Stratford
East.
 The
show
is
now
in
 further
development
 and
the
aim
is
to
take
it
on
a
national
tour
once
funding
has
been
secured


Kat
wrote
and
performed
“KAT’S
 GOT
YOUR
TONGUE,”
her
first
full
 length
comedy
show,
at
the
Theatre
 Royal,
Stratford
East,
Studio
space
in
 2010,
directed
by
Dawn
Reid
to
a
sell
 out
crowd.
The
show
will
return
to
 the
Theatre
Royal
Stratford
East,
in
 July
2011
on
the
main
450
seated
 stage
and
then
proceed
to
tour.
 
 
 
 
 Kat
now
has
the
label
of
comedian
under
her
belt,
having
honed
her
skills
 controlling
crowds
in
the
noisy
Theatre
Royal
bar;
she
is
embarking
on
making
a
 name
for
herself
on
the
comedy
circuit,
as
well
as
continuing
her
work
as
a
poet,
 playwright
and
educator.
 
 
 She
has
travelled
extensively
as
a
performance
poet
including
Canada,
Germany,
 Jerusalem,
Sweden,
Austria,
Italy,
Ireland,,
Holland,
India
and
Australia.
 
 At
present
Kat
is
part
of
a
theatre
show
called
the
SPOKEN
WORD
ALL
STARS
 who
are
touring
nationally
through
2010
and
2011.


Kat
is
also
acting
in
a
play
 called
THE
HATE
PLAY
with
 Box
Clever
Theatre,
a
school
 play,
touring
in
December
 2010.
 
 
 
 She
is
also
an
educator
with
 over
20
years
experience
 working
with
young
people
 as
a
youth
worker,
workshop
 leader
and
PHSE
facilitator.
 Kat
uses
poetry
and
drama
to
 reach
young
people
and
 adults;
she
teaches
in
schools,
 colleges,
universities,
youth
 clubs,
homeless
hostels,
pupil
 referral
units,
and
young
 offenders
institutes.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 She
also
runs
a
popular
course,
called
“From
the
Page
to
the
Stage,
”
which
helps
 writers
turn
their
writing
into
performance.
 
 Kat
Francois
will
be
touring
a
one
woman
show
for
9‐11
year
olds
called
“What’s
 Happening
To
Me”
dealing
with
growing
up,
which
will
be
available
for
booking
 March
2011
onwards.
 
 Kat
Francois
is
also
working
on
her
first
book
of
children’s
poetry
that
will
also
 be
available
in
2011.
 
 
 
 In
2007,
Kat
established
Zupakat
 Productions
as
an
umbrella
 organisation
for
her
art
and
production,
 and
its
publishing
arm
Zupakat
 Publishing.


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