Evolution Festival Program – Day Two
Sunday, May 3, 2026
Festival hours: 10AM-6PM
10:15 AM
Downstairs Lobby
20+ Minute Performance
Live Music
Founded in 2004, Treblemakers is Northwestern’s premier East Asian-interest a cappella group. They celebrate Asian and Asian American musical excellence through a diverse repertoire spanning languages such as English, Chinese, Cantonese, Korean, and Tagalog. Dedicated to sharing their passion for music, the group performs both on campus and in the broader community, providing a vibrant platform for cultural expression and vocal artistry at Northwestern University.
10:15 AM
Upstairs Studio Theatre
40 Minute Performance
Theatre Solo Show
In this autobiographical show, Lauren dismantles the stigma of living and dating with herpes. Through a blend of vulnerable storytelling and comedy, she navigates the complexities of disclosure and the journey toward healing. From childhood dreams of romance to the reality of her diagnosis, Lauren explores self-discovery and hope, offering a show for anyone who has feared they might face the world alone. Directed by Francesca Sobrer, creative consultation by Lisa Burton.
11AM - 4PM
Pop-Up Book Workshop
Jaerin Son is a puppet artist, theater director, and set designer from Korea. She has worked at the Chicago Puppet Studio as a pop-up book instructor and a member of the production team. Jaerin will exhibit her puppets and an AR pop-up book, and I can also lead a simple pop-up book workshop.
11:30 AM
Downstairs Lobby
45 Minute Performance
Live Music
Sierra Sikora is a 19-year-old artist blending pop, folk, and singer-songwriter styles. With over 1.2 million streams on Spotify and Apple Music, she has built a loyal community known as the “Sierra Squad.” A self-produced musician trained in classical and contemporary voice, Sierra draws from a background of 40+ musical theatre productions. Her raw, honest storytelling and versatile performances continue to captivate global listeners as she develops her unique sound.
11:30 AM
Upstairs Studio Theatre
30 Minute Performance
Theatre Solo Show
Huy Nguyen
Huy Nguyen is a versatile actor, writer, and director originally from the Pacific Northwest. After studying drama at the University of Washington, he now splits his time between the vibrant creative scenes of Chicago and Los Angeles. A proud member of SAG-AFTRA, Huy is dedicated to the belief that art should remain accessible to anyone with an open heart and a free mind. Huy performs “Three Horse Men”
12:30 PM
Upstairs Studio Theatre
60 Minute Performance
Theatre Solo Show
Kento Morita
Kento Morita is an award-winning clown, writer, and producer who explores Japanese American identity through humor. Trained at The Second City, UCB, and École Philippe Gaulier, Kento’s credits include voice work for A24’s Marty Supreme and Warner Bros. Animation’s Get Jiro!. Most recently, they originated “Actor 5” in Julia Izumi’s Akira Kurosawa Explains His Movies and Yogurt at Woolly Mammoth. Kento thrives at the intersection of storytelling and physical comedy.
1 PM
Downstairs Lobby
40 Minute Performance
Live Music
Steven Cristi is a Filipino-American singer, songwriter, and high school English teacher. With nearly a decade of experience, his musical style is rooted in the boy band era, a cappella, and the nostalgic early days of YouTube cover culture. Now focusing on heartfelt storytelling, Steven’s performances offer an intimate experience centered on his voice and guitar. He invites audiences into a vulnerable creative space shaped by his heritage and passion for narrative.
2 PM
Downstairs Lobby
10 Minute Performance
Dance
Megan Davis, Martin Bronson, and Tristan Bruns are leaders in the Chicago tap community. Martin, a former director for Chicago Human Rhythm Project, creates acclaimed educational works. Tristan directs Tapman Productions, performing internationally from Spain to China. Megan, a Tapestry Dance Company alum, innovates with M.A.D.D. Rhythms and Queer Dance Freakout. Together, these choreographers and educators blend tradition with modern artistry to push the boundaries of percussive dance.
2 PM
Upstairs Studio Theatre
45 Minute Showcase
Film Showcase
A queer love story. “Queer Up The Details”, 8 Minute Film
Okyoung Noh presents a film of the one-day multimedia exhibition and live performance, “Chimeric Womb”. This immersive experience conjured a shared dreamscape of Asian+ womanhood, fluid embodiment, and collective becoming. DIRECTOR: Okyoung Noh. PERFORMANCE DIRECTORS: Ginny Jiang, Okyoung Noh. CHOREOGRAPHER: Ginny Jiang. DANCERS: Mia Brooks, Hope Hanna, Bridghaite Lemrow-Collazo-Rosario. MUSIC: Chien-An Yuan. INSTALLATION: Okyoung Noh. FIBER ART: Kim DeBord. 3D RENDERING: Seungah Li. EDITOR: Okyoung Noh PRODUCER: Okyoung Noh. Sponsored by Arts Initiative. Filmed at The James and Anne Duderstadt Center. 16 Minute Film
Asuka Lin is a Japanese-Taiwanese writer and director whose work spans anarchic cyberpunk to meditative folktales. Educated at the California Institute of the Arts, their films—including Into the Emerald Sea and A.I. Mama—have screened at the London Short Film Festival and Jogja-NETPAC. Now based in Chicago, Asuka explores themes of yearning and socio-ecological change, crafting stories that navigate conflicting realities and cultural identities across the global stage. “Into the Emerald Sea” (エメラルドの海へ) 20 Minute Film
3 PM
Downstairs Lobby
15+ minute showcase
Dance
Twinka Masala (they) is an award-winning drag king and activist based in Chicago, performing nationwide. They served three years on the board of Satrang, a South Asian LGBTQ+ organization in LA and now organizes with Chicago Dyke March. They host South Asian and Middle Eastern drag shows and facilitate drag workshops and story times.
A military brat going after government issued green. the love child of madness and late stage capitalism. horny for the environment.
Please bring dollar bills to toss onstage to tip the performers.
3 PM
Upstairs Studio Theatre
40 Minute Showcase
Spoken Word Showcase
Ada Cheng is an award-winning storyteller and solo performer who uses narrative to challenge structural inequities. A former academic and Lund-Gill Chair at Dominican University, she has toured acclaimed solo shows like NOT QUITE and THE TROUBLE WITH MY HAIR. An honoree of the Illinois Humanities Public Humanities Award, Ada creates vital platforms for BIPOC and LGBTQIA voices, blending performance and advocacy to build intimate, socially conscious communities.
7 Minute Performance
Jeannie Hua transitioned from a criminal defense career to the arts after overcoming severe mental health challenges. An MFA graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she held a solo show at Gallery 456 supported by the Foundation for Contemporary Arts. Jeannie has held residencies at Ox-Bow and Sitka Center. Now incorporating performance, she debuted as a storyteller at Restoried Bookstore under Ada Cheng’s mentorship, blending her legal background with powerful narratives of recovery and resilience.
10+7 Minute Performances
Ivy McPherson
Ivy McPherson is a mixed-race Korean playwright, poet, and essayist from Missouri. Her work orbits around themes of transfeminine identity, ancestry, sexuality, and religious upbringings. She will be fresh out of college in May and is excited to have her work read for the first time!
15 Minute Performance
4 PM
Downstairs Lobby
45 Minute Performance
Live Music
Singer-songwriter Dawn Xiana Moon fuses elements from traditional Chinese music with jazz and alt folk pop, resulting in a musical brew in French, English, and Mandarin Chinese that draws influences from sources as disparate as Han Dynasty literature and Americana. She’s joined by erhu player Yini Sun, concertmaster of Jade Chinese Ensemble.
4 PM
Upstairs Studio Theatre
20 Minute Performance
Performance
Xiaolu Wang
Born in Ningxia, China, Xiaolu is an artist working at the intersection of film and translation. Her work uses video collage to explore migration, absence, and the “overlap of distant realities.” Having learned English while working at a video store on Occupied Dakota land, she shifts relational possibilities between text, image, and sound. When not creating, Xiaolu can be found flying kites or in the company of cats, rooted in poetry and practicality.
4:45 PM
Upstairs Studio Theatre
60 Minute Showcase
Comedy Showcase
Becca Nix Tham is a seasoned Chicago comedian and writer who has graced stages at SF Sketchfest, The Second City, and Zanies. A 2024 Victor Wong Fellow, she created the original sketch show Youth in Asia. Her diverse credits include performances with the Jewish Comedy Project and features in Lilith Magazine. Follow her @beccsayswhatnow on Instagram and TikTok to keep up with her sharp humor and latest projects across the comedy circuit.
10 Minute Performance
Stir-Friday Night! is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theater company founded in 1995. Based in Chicago, Illinois, SFN is one of the nation’s premier Asian American comedy troupes. Having worked with such renowned companies such as The Second City and iO (formerly known as Improv Olympic), Stir-Friday Night! has become a fixture in Chicago’s comedy scene.
40 Minute Performance
5 PM
Downstairs Lobby
45 minute performance
Live Music
Kay tear merges experimental chamber pop and alternative R&B by blending voice, electronics, and a live string duet. The violin and cello provide an irreplaceable analog warmth through thoughtful counterpoint. Using hands-free live looping, tear creates immersive, meditative soundscapes. She engages audiences with reflective questions, aiming to reach what Haruki Murakami calls “the heart’s natural resonance.”
Dance
Formed in 2021 by Joanne Gutierrez, Ajumma Rising is a Chicago-based not-for-profit group dedicated to empowering middle-aged women. The group provides a vital community space for building friendships through cultural exploration, sports, and crafts. Known for their high-energy flash mob-style performances, they reclaim the Korean term for “auntie”, “ajumma”, as a symbol of bold, visible living.
