معرفی
Coya Paz Brownrigg serves as Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Curriculum and Instruction at DePaul University's Theatre School, where she has been faculty since 2008 while simultaneously leading Chicago's historic Free Street Theater as Artistic Director. Her dual institutional roles center on creating performance ecosystems with historically divested communities through co-creation methodologies.
Her educational foundation:
- PhD in Performance Studies, Northwestern University
Her research interrogates performance as a tool for social transformation, specializing in intersections of public violence and performance, ghost stories as cultural archives, and economic disparity in Chicago's arts landscape. She champions neighborhood-based arts advocacy on the city's South and West sides, framing community-making and resiliency building as core artistic practices that advance racial and economic equity through what she terms 'critical generosity.'
Her scholarly recognition includes:
- 2023 ATHE Award for Innovations in Institutional Leadership honoring her decade-plus commitment to community-based theater and civic engagement
Beyond academia, she drives Free Street Theater's mission of affordable inclusive performance while serving on multiple equity-focused advisory boards and providing organizational consulting through Free Street Talks. Her practice embodies the fusion of performance scholarship and community action, viewing poetry and performance as irreplaceable catalysts for social change.
