Rashi (she/her) is a Ph.D. candidate in the Theatre and Performance Studies department at Stanford University. Her scholarly research and artistic practice focus upon the intersections of politics and performance in South Asia, particularly along the lines of nationalism, citizenship and gender. Before coming to Stanford, Rashi received an MA in Performance Studies from NYU and an MA in Conflict and Peace Studies from Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi. She was associated with different theatre groups in Delhi that were engaged in creating socially and politically relevant art.

Marina Johnson (she/they) is a third year Ph.D. candidate in Theatre and Performance Studies Department at Stanford University, also pursuing Ph.D. minors in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Critical Studies in Race and Ethnicity. She was a 2021-2022 Graduate Public Service Fellow with the Stanford Haas Center. She is the co-artistic director of the Nitery Experimental Theatre on Stanford’s Campus. Marina has a BA and a BS from Penn State University and received her MFA in Directing from the University of Iowa. She is the co-host of Kunafa and Shay, a podcast produced by HowlRound Theatre Commons. Johnson is a member of Silk Road Rising’s Polycultural Institute and is an Associate Literary Manager with Golden Thread Productions’ 2023 ReOrient Festival. She has trained with the SITI Company and in the Kennedy Center Directing Lab. Prior to beginning her Ph.D, she was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Beloit College for three years. Marina-Johnson.com 

Liam Fay (he/him) is a super-senior studying Product Design. He has a passion for all sorts of things theatre, from tech to design to performance. He is at his happiest when he’s teaching carpentry skills to new theater members!

Jo Leuenberger (she/they) is a senior studying English and Film. Coming from a visual arts background, she quickly fell in love with production design at Stanford being moving on to more technical roles. Her hobbies include crochet, reading, and scoping out the best sushi restaurants in the Bay.

Sam Petersen (she/they) is a super-junior majoring in Theater and Performance Studies and minoring in music. Sam performed in the Nitery as a French sheep and has been excited to work with NExT ever since. She is involved with Stanford Theater Lab and Stanford Talisman, both of which are very dear to her. She loves sharing yummy food with loved ones, rollerskating, and baking lots of cookies only to give them all away.