Deon Custard completed BAs in English and Theatre (Directing) at Bates College in Lewiston, ME before beginning at Northwestern in the fall of 2021. Current research interests are focused on Shakespeare’s plays (as literature and as malleable performance texts), the carnivalesque and other comic theories, the racialized body in performance, and how radical joy can be used to re-examine existing institutions. In addition to his work as a PhD student, Deon is a freelance director, lighting & sound designer, dramaturg, and teaching artist.