SLIPAR 2024 (September Lab in Performance as Research)

Conceived by Jennifer Williams. Performed by Jennifer Williams and Lourdes Taylor.

Asya Sağnak (she/her) is a joint PhD student in Theater and Performance Studies and Comparative Literature. She received her MA in the Humanities from the University of Chicago and her BA in Political Science from Barnard College. Her research focuses on the cultural and affective economies of self-starving protest performance, particularly in the Middle East. In this, she wishes to articulate a performance philosophy of decay—of that which degrades over time.

Asya is from Istanbul, Turkey. Prior to her arrival in Chicago, she worked as a theater director and writing consultant in New York City.

This spoken word project is a polyvocal epic poem about the Italian diaspora in Chicago. The U.S. has long been a favored destination for Italian immigrants, drawn by the allure of the American dream. Over time, American perception of Italian immigrants has shifted from associations with poverty and violence to integration and the emergence of Italian-American culture. This performance explores the history of Italian immigration, employing both fictional characters and real figures such as Mother Cabrini, Al Capone, and Italo Balbo. In doing so, it also reflects on language as a connection to the homeland, a means of translation, or something to be forgotten in the pursuit of integration.

Alessandro Minnucci is a 5th-year PhD student in Italian Studies and Theater and Performance Studies at the University of Chicago. As a spoken word artist, he participated, with fellow artists Ryan Doyle, Eleonora Fisco, and Andy Karol, in One Poetic Voice, under the artistic direction of Marc Kelly Smith, debuting at the Green Mill, Chicago, in May 2024. He is a member of the poetry collective Zoopalco, based in Bologna, Italy, and has taught spoken word workshops in public high schools. He is currently working on his solo spoken word project, which addresses the issues of translation and Italian immigration in Chicago.

Alejandro Cueto (He/Him/His) is a PhD student in Music History & Theory and Theater & Performance Studies at the University of Chicago. He studies how identities such as race and gender are heard and seen in contemporary pop music. Working as a podcast technician at the National Center for the Humanities, Alejandro is interested in public-facing scholarship and the multitude of ways music knowledge and critique is circulated outside of academic contexts such as podcasts, public radio, CD jackets, and concert programs.

What would you say to your future self? What secrets lie hidden in the echoes of your past? To Future Self invites you on an enigmatic journey through time and identity. In this innovative solo performance, Rana confronts her past, present, and potential future(s), blurring the lines between comedy and drama. As Rana navigates the landscape of loss and resilience, she discovers how grief shapes our journey through time.

Lou Gargouri is a Tunisian-born playwright, performer, and Ph.D. candidate in French and Francophone Studies and Theater and Performance Studies at the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on contemporary French women's solo performances. As a performer, Lou has honed her acting and solo performance skills across three continents, training at El Teatro in Tunis, Cours Florent in Paris, and The Second City in Chicago. To Future Self marks her first project that directly connects her creative practice with her academic research in this interdisciplinary program.

Musical duo with cellist Lia Kohl.