Ain Gordon and Josh Quillen

Ain Gordon is a three-time Obie Award–winning writer, director, and actor; a two-time NYFA recipient; and a Guggenheim Fellow in playwriting. Gordon’s work frequently sources overlooked and marginalized histories and the nearly obscured lives inhabiting such spaces. His work has been seen at venues throughout the US, and he collaborated with choreographer Bebe Miller on Necessary Beauty, which premiered at the Wexner Center in 2008. Gordon appeared in the original off-Broadway cast of Spalding Gray: Stories Left to Tell, and he also wrote for NBC’s Will & Grace. Gordon is cofounder of the Urban Memory Project and has been codirector of Pick Up Performance Co(s) since 1992. Learn more at Gordon's website.

Josh Quillen has forged a unique identity in the contemporary music world as all-around percussionist, expert steel drum performer (lauded as “softly sophisticated” by the New York Times), and composer. His collaborations with other composers frequently incorporate the steel drums as a core element. A member of the acclaimed ensemble Sō Percussion since 2006, Quillen has performed at Carnegie Hall, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Lincoln Center Festival, Stanford Lively Arts, and dozens of other venues in the US. In that time, Sō Percussion has toured Russia, Spain, Australia, Italy, Germany, and Scotland. He has had the opportunity to work closely with Steve Reich, Steve Mackey, Paul Lansky, David Lang, Matmos, Dan Deacon, and many others. Learn more at Quillen's website.