FEAR ITSELF: A People’s Salon

Coya Paz is a writer, director, and lip gloss connoisseur who was raised in Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, and the United States. 

Paz is the Strategic Director of Free Street Theater, which has been using performance to challenge Chicago racial and economic segregation since 1969, and served as the founding co-Artistic Director of Teatro Luna for nine years. 

Coya is an Associate Professor in The Theatre School at DePaul University and holds a PhD in Performance Studies from Northwestern University, where she researched public violence as performance. She is the co-author (with Chloe Johnston) of Ensemble-Made Chicago: A Guide to Devised Theater. 

Above all, she believes in the power of poetry and performance to build community towards social change. Visit her on the web at coyapaz.com.

Photo by Jazmin Corona

State Senator Robert Peters has a deep passion for public service cultivated by numerous events throughout his life that left a profound impact on him and the people he cares about. He is a proud South Sider and an even prouder Chicagoan.

As a community organizer, Peters successfully fought to require Cook County judges to set affordable bail amounts for all defendants, leading to a substantial reduction in the Cook County Jail population since it took effect in July 2017. As a state senator, Peters has continued to advocate for the people in the 13th District and beyond, such as seeing his gender-based violence re-sentencing legislation through to becoming law. This law helped Crystal Martinez, a survivor of domestic violence, win early release and will undoubtedly have a positive impact on hundreds of survivors across Illinois.

Peters is committed to criminal justice reform, creating clean energy jobs, and fighting for quality public education. He is passionate about his work and takes pride in being a community-driven public servant.

Mary Williamson is an actor, writer, and visual artist who is proud to call Chicago home. Her work often focuses on themes of gender, sexuality, body, horror, and humor. She is a founding member and former Creative Director of The Inconvenience, the host and writer of The Fly Honey Show, a regular contributor to Salonathon, and she has worked with dozens of theater companies in the city. She graduated from The Theatre School at DePaul University with a BFA in acting and her work as both a performer and gore designer has been nominated for awards by Jeff Awards, Time Out Chicago, and Broadway World. 

Theater credits

• A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Gynecologic Oncology Unit... (Route 66)
• Sender (A Red Orchid Theatre)
• Tony Kushner Contemplates Writing a Gay Fantasia Based On National Themes (Goodman Theatre)
• Three Sisters (The Hypocrites)

TV and Film credits

• Chicago PD
• Bobby and Iza
• Shrink
• Rideshare
• Holy Trinity

Stay tuned for more presenters and performers.