The Fine Arts Library (FAL) at the University of Texas at Austin launched a new event series last spring to showcase how research across performing arts disciplines exists on and off the page, generated and elaborated through creative practices. Designed by Performing Arts Librarian Molly Roy, the Performance as Research series represents an intentional, curated framework and an invitation for community-building.
“We are excited to offer a platform for artist-scholars of every level to present new projects, develop works in progress, explore ideas, and engage with an audience community,” said Roy.
The inaugural event in February featured a staged reading (above) of “The Making of a Saint,” an in-progress one-person investigative play written and performed by Theatre and Dance Professor KJ Sanchez. Based on interviews and research conducted in Rome, the play follows Sanchez as she explores the story of Wild West–era nun Blandina Segale; searches for a model for how to live a good life; and seeks to bridge the distance between faith and doubt in her relationship with her brother, a petitioner for the cause of canonization of Sister Blandina.
“Having the opportunity to perform my research at the Fine Arts Library absolutely accelerated my process,” said Sanchez. “FAL was the perfect venue — with support that ensured I had a great and discerning audience and an environment that highlighted the research aspect of my work.” “The Making of a Saint” will premiere at the Dallas Theater Center next year.
The series continued in April with a screening of “Somnotomy,” the newest original play by New Orleans–based Intramural Theater. Directed and co-written by MFA student Bennett Kirschner, “Somnotomy” explores the surreal world of sleep, dreams and the entities that haunt them. After the screening, interdisciplinary artist and Ph.D. student Brianna Alexis Heath moderated a discussion with Kirschner about the research and collaboration that go into making devised theater like “Somnotomy,” a genre similar to improv that evolves into a fixed or semi-fixed form by the time it is performed.
Check the UT Libraries event calendar for upcoming Performance as Research events. To learn more about the series and related resources, visit the series library guide.