Fellow Profiles

How did you become interested in the CAH project you are working on this year?

My project grew out of years of researching and working with Split Britches, the lesbian-feminist theatre company founded by Peggy Shaw and Lois Weaver in 1980. I’m interested in how queer artists challenge assumptions about aging and keep queer histories alive through performance. Their humor and experimentation drew me to their work, and my CAH fellowship brings that research into conversation with the SCU community through my forthcoming book, Split Britches: Fifty Years On, and a campus residency.

Share with us one experience you've had in the arts or humanities - either as a student or a professor - that was meaningful to you.

Working closely with legendary artists Peggy Shaw and Lois Weaver, first during my doctoral dissertation and now in developing this book, has been especially meaningful. Bringing together their last 25 years of theatrical work through edited scripts and interviews, alongside scholarly essays, has made the project an ongoing exchange between art and scholarship. It has also reinforced my sense that documenting theatre is about relationships: listening carefully, building trust, and thinking together about how performances can reach people who weren’t there to experience them.

How do you engage in "joyful rebellion" and what does it mean to you?

For me, joyful rebellion means making room for queer lives, stories, and possibilities that are too often pushed aside. I engage in joyful rebellion through teaching and scholarship that center those experiences. There’s joy in discovering a neglected play, recognizing yourself in a performance about queer identity, or laughing at the ways queer performance unsettles our assumptions about society. Those moments can help us imagine how things might be different.

How is "joyful rebellion" reflected in your project?

Split Britches uses humor and theatrical experimentation to challenge expectations about gender, sexuality, and aging. Their performances celebrate queer histories while challenging the idea that aging means becoming less visible or having less to say. Bringing Peggy and Lois to SCU will give students and community members opportunities to experience their creative spirit and engage directly with their work. I want the project to make space for people across generations to learn from one another and create something together, whether they already know Split Britches’ work or are encountering it for the first time. I'm most excited for how much joy their performance of Last Gasp will bring to the audience on campus in April!