Brackish - S6 E8: Sophie Austin & Blackout Poem #8

Brackish (formerly Making Design Circular with Katie Treggiden)

In this episode, Katie speaks with Sophie Austin, a multidisciplinary director, writer and producer, about how storytelling can become an act of regeneration, resistance, and community building.

Sophie’s work spans theatre, film, and audio, and she is passionate about amplifying voices from both marginalised human and more-than-human communities. She is the founder of Teatro Vivo and SHH Productions, and currently serves as Creative Director at CHANGE Festival.

“I want to find the people I trust in the long grass. That’s where I choose to make my work.” - Sophie Austin

In this conversation, Sophie she reflects on what it means to live and create at “the edge”—of comfort, of fear, and of systems—and how reconnecting with wonder can unlock new ways of seeing, sensing, and showing up in the world.

You’ll hear how Sophie’s storytelling was transformed through motherhood, why she invites people to walk with her in the dark, and how improvisation, play, and community shape every project she leads. From her collaborative writing desk in the Oxford Botanic Gardens to her powerful film Climate Criminals, Sophie shares how she brings people together to co-create stories of hope and courage, even in the face of crisis.

We cover:

- How Sophie went from running immersive theatre in supermarkets and high streets to storytelling for environmental and social justice

- Why she describes herself as a “wild storyteller” and what walking in darkness can teach us

- The power of saying “yes, and…” and how it opens doors to deeper creative collaboration

- Her interactive public art project What Happens Next and what it taught her about community

- The behind-the-scenes story of Climate Criminals, the people it centres, and why its process mattered more than the product

- Why the values of curiosity, creativity, bravery, and trust are essential for living and leading in uncertain times

More from Sophie:

Website: https://www.sophiejaneaustin.com/

Instagram: @sophiejanesnaps

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiejanedoes/

Teatro Vivo

More from Katie:

Instagram: @katietreggiden.1

Website: https://katietreggiden.com/

Blue Health Coaching: https://makingdesigncircular.org/

Nature-inspired poetry: Brackish

Resources mentioned:

https://youtu.be/pjkHtXRpyI4

CHANGE Festival

What next?

If all this talk of defiant hope has got you wondering where you can find some, I have something for you. Cultivating Hope is my three-part mini-course and it’s the three steps I move through whenever I start to feel despair tugging at my edges.

You will move out of ‘fight, flight or freeze’ mode and into a calm and connected state, reconnect with nature, and find aligned actions that you can take now to keep you to remind you that you can make a difference.

In the current climate, hope is an act of defiance, and it’s one I hope you’ll take with me.

Click here to find out more here

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