Semi-Circus  was formed in 2016 with the mission to produce lively contemporary circus that asks big questions about gender, politics, society, culture, environment, economics and all of those factors that shape the human condition. The first show, Murmurations, tackled the stigma around mental health and was a bestseller at the 2017 Chicago Fringe Festival. The current show, a work-in-progress, is Queer Fluid Dynamics - a celebration of gender euphoria and a look into the intimate-yet-platonic relationship of two non-binary circus performers whilst they share a practice space. This show incorporates multiple performance art forms such as physical theater, circus, spoken word and dance. Semi-Circus’ mission is to rid performance spaces of the stereotypes and cliches surrounding gender.

Michael Workman is an artist, writer and reporter, choreographer, dance, performance art and sociocultural critic. In addition to his work at the Chicago Tribune, Guardian US, Newcity magazine, Workman is also Director of Bridge, a Chicago-based 501 (c) (3) publishing and programming organization. His choreographic writing has been included in Propositional Attitudes, published by Golden Spike Press, and his Perfect Worlds: Artistic Forms & Social Imaginaries by StepSister Press was released in October 2018 with a day-long program of performances at the Museum of Contemporary Art and SITE/less Chicago.

Paula Ward (Lucid Banter Project) is a dancer, choreographer and producer from Madison, Wisconsin.  She was a youth company member of the Madison Ballet, danced in Hope College’s modern and jazz companies while earning her BA in Dance and Chemistry, and spent a decade with the Joel Hall Dancers in Chicago, Illinois. She directed the Joel Hall Dancers Youth Company and Le Ballet Petit School of Dance before forming her contemporary dance company, the Lucid Banter Project, which is currently in its fourth year.  Lucid Banter presents in many non-traditional spaces and stages, as well as on film.

Timothy Rey is a Chicago-based poet, playwright, performer and educator.  He attended Indiana University Bloomington, on The Most Outstanding Author scholarship, from IU’s Department of English where he studied poetry under Pulitzer Prize winner Yusef Komunyakaa. He is a 2015 Semi-Finalist for the Guild Literary Complex’s Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Poetry Award, and one of the winners of Project Exploration (The Poetry Center of Chicago 2004). He is the cofounder of the LBGT Solo Performance Showcase, Solo Homo (2002-2011). Timothy has taught poetry and performance for Columbia College School of Fine & Performing Arts Community Engagement Program, the Poetry Foundation Summer Teacher’s Institute and is currently a Poet In-Residence for The Chicago Poetry Center. He is the Chicagoland Regional Coordinator for Poetry Out Loud!  (Poetry Foundation/ National Endowment For The Arts) Timothy’s writing has appeared in magazines and journals including: ’60 Inches From Center,’ and ‘After Hours: The Chicago Journal of Writing & Art,’ and will be featured in the upcoming short film, by Matthew Riutta, Little Voices. Timothy has performed at Steppenwolf Theater (Lookout Series),  New York City’s International Fringe Festival as well as The Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts.

Emily Bieniek earned her undergraduate degree in poetry from Columbia College Chicago. Her chapbook wanting was selected as a finalist in the 2019 Paper Nautilus Debut Chapbook Series and her poem “I have a scab on my knee” was included in Plain China: Best Undergrad Writing in 2018. Her work has appeared in Columbia Poetry Review, Ransack Press, The Lab Review, and The Garland Court Review. Emily works at the Poetry Foundation as a media assistant.