Deon Custard is Chicago- born, raised, and based scholar of 17th century English culture & performance practices. His dissertation project is focused on “Ardenspaces” in the city of Chicago and how these educational third spaces facilitate valuable learning experiences that supplement the existing arts ecosystem. Other things Deon is thinking about are the sonic performances of basketball games, how Tolkien and GRRMartin teach us to better think about history and religion, and the ways in which civil wars live in the cultural memory. Beyond the 1600s, Deon has been practicing his bass again and is passionate about comics (stand-up and the books), heavy metal, hip-hop, and listening to the film score before he sees the movie. Recent sound design credits include “Villette” (Lookingglass w/ Brandon Reed); “From the Mississippi Delta” (Lifeline); “Dance Nation”, “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo”, “Marisol” (Northwestern University); “Everybody” (Santa Fe Playhouse).