Queer Asian Play Reading: The Trouble with My Hair

Event Date: Saturday, July 12 · 2 - 4pm CDT

The Trouble with My Hair, by storyteller and solo performer Ada Cheng, is an intimate exploration of gender and sexual identity and boundary-making through her evolving relationship with her hairstylist and her hair. Blending narrative art and theatrical storytelling, Ada Cheng playfully brings her audience on a journey of self-discovery and self-love through her struggles with hair. This play reading will be followed by a talkback, hosted by Anna Rose Ii-Epstein, co-founder of Nothing Without a Company. They will delve into the play’s themes, Ada’s creative process, and the broader landscape of queer women’s storytelling in theatre. This event is free to all.

About the artists:

An educator-turned storyteller, solo performer, and community builder, Dr. Ada Cheng has utilized storytelling to illustrate structural inequities, raise critical awareness, and build intimate communities. Committed to amplifying and uplifting marginalized voices, she has created numerous storytelling platforms for BIPOC and LGBTQIA community members to tell difficult and vulnerable stories. Dr. Cheng has been a speaker for Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau since 2019. She was named 2023-24 Lund-Gill Chair at Dominican University. She was one of the Illinois Humanities Public Humanities Award honorees in 2024. Her interests encompass academia, storytelling/performance, and advocacy.

Anna Rose Ii-Epstein is a multifaceted artist and community advocate based in Chicago. She is the co-founder and Producing Director of Nothing Without a Company, a nonprofit theater organization dedicated to producing new and innovative works. With over 20 years in Chicago’s theater scene, Anna Rose has collaborated with esteemed institutions such as Steppenwolf Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre, and The Goodman Theatre, contributing as a performer, director, and producer.

Ada Cheng: https://www.instagram.com/sjadacheng?igsh=MWJjd2wzZ2FtMG03cQ==

Nothing Without a Company: https://www.instagram.com/nothingwithoutacompany?igsh=bjgzY2Rva3BiZG8w

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