Salomania is a new performance project inspired by Salome, the New Testament figure who danced for King Herod in exchange for John the Baptist's head. The project explores Salome's depiction in late 19th and early 20th centuries, examining modern culture's contradictions and reflecting the era's fascination with hysteria and epilepsy.

Meg Araneo, a theatre-maker with epilepsy, is writing the playtext for Salomania. Her work incorporates historical research and addresses themes of gender, aging, and embodied difference.

Meg is the Co-Artistic Director of Citizen Arts and Education and teaches theatre at Columbia University and NYU. She holds a Ph.D. in Theatre History and Criticism from CUNY, an MFA from Carnegie Mellon, and a BA from Johns Hopkins.

www.megaraneo.com.

Affiliation: NYU/Tisch

Paul McAdory is a writer working on a nonfiction project related to an essay he published several years ago about a corn snake named Woohoo. The new work is neither a direct extension nor a refutation of the earlier one but rather an effort to look at his subject(s) from a different, lower, i.e., more snake-centric perspective and to examine how such an effort might fail or succeed. You can find his published essays and reports on:

www.paulmcadory.com

Affiliation: Columbia

Abby Melick (she/hers) is a New York-based writer, translator, and educator. Her short stories have been published or are forthcoming in Flash Fiction Magazine and Brink Literary Journal, and her translations have been featured in the Columbia Word for Word Anthology. The Grown-Ups, a play she co-devised, was recently published by Samuel French. Abby has a BA in English from Princeton and is pursuing an MFA in Writing and Translation at Columbia University, where she teaches in the undergraduate writing program. At Catwalk, Abby will work on her first novel, For Real This Time, about an aspiring stage actress caught up with a community of method actors.

Affiliation: Columbia

Dan Rybicky (danrybicky.com), a graduate of Vassar with a BA in English and Film and NYU with an MFA in Dramatic Writing, is renowned for his storytelling prowess, particularly from a queer perspective, addressing intricate social issues. His repertoire includes the acclaimed documentary "Almost There," exploring mental health and aging in America, and his "Trump Trilogy" shorts tackling healthcare, arts education, and women's rights. Presently, Rybicky is deeply immersed in the production of two feature documentaries: "The Other Americans," spotlighting John Leguizamo's theatrical venture at The Public Theater, and "Open Me," a poignant narrative delving into the life of his dear friend Jennifer Dulos, who tragically fell victim to spousal violence in 2019.

Driven by his experiences in the picturesque yet complex landscapes of Miller Beach, nestled along Lake Michigan and part of Gary, Indiana, Rybicky embarks on a screenplay endeavor titled "White Flight," drawing from the region's tumultuous history, the rise of US Steel, and the fervent advocacy for conservation and national parks amidst urban decay and industrial pollution.

Affiliation: Vassar College

Stephanie Wambugu was born in Mombasa, Kenya. She grew up in New England and lives in New York. She went to Bard and lived in Hudson before starting her MFA at Columbia’s School of the Arts. Her work is concerned with negotiating ties to religion in a secularized world, commodification of the self and the limitations of politics of representation. While at Catwalk, she will work on a collection of short stories titled Women Without Children and a novella set partially in the Hudson Valley, called No Use. Stephanie’s debut novel Lonely Crowds will be published by Little, Brown in 2025.

www.StephanieNjeriWambugu.com

Affiliation: Columbia