About — The Play Is Not The Thing

The Play is Not the Thing was set up to provide community-centred support for those who seek connection, with an emphasis on the healing potential of creativity and sisterhood.

We create spaces where we can harness the immense potential of peer support.

About the Founders

Co-founders Eliza Halling and Louise Wellby are lifelong friends and Londoners who believe in the power of creativity, community, social change and freedom of expression.

Eliza Halling: Playwright and Creative Facilitator

Eliza is a playwright and creative facilitator who works as an advocate for people at high risk of harm from domestic violence in London.

Our first play ‘The Women’s Centre’ was written by Eliza - it ask questions of who holds the power in the charity sector and whether it could be redistributed to benefit the whole system. Most of all, it's an ode to sisterhood and the transformative power of community spaces.

Louise Wellby: Director and Creative Facilitator

Louise is a director and creative facilitator, yoga and sound meditation teacher and musician. An experienced workshop leader and trainee psychotherapist, Louise is especially interested in creative living, mental health and healing.

Louise designs a process of creative workshops featuring dance, body percussion, yoga, poetry and play. Creating and curating spaces that are friendly and inclusive, Louise loves to share practices for the whole being.