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November 22, 2025
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New Patterns, Ancient Threads

Saturday, November 22 | 12:00 PM

Explore the enduring history of queer themes in drama and literature with Professor Gary Cestaro of DePaul University. This lecture dives into the long lineage of queer traditions that inspired Shakespeare and continue to resonate in his plays today.

Experience Shaina Taub and Laurie Woolery’s 2017 musical adaptation of As You Like It, featuring folk-pop music, reimagined romantic pairings, and fresh contemporary language. It’s a new take on a classic—innovative, but still rooted in tradition.

Special Event for LGBTQ+ Community Members: Attend the lecture and stick around for the 2:00 PM performance of As You Like It.

Meet your Professor

Gary Cestaro

Gary Cestaro teaches Italian in the Department of Modern Languages at DePaul University in Chicago, where he was founding Director of the LGBTQ Studies Program. His courses in comparative literature include a survey of queer themes from antiquity to the Renaissance entitled “Sappho to Shakespeare.” He is the author of Dante and the Grammar of the Nursing Body (Notre Dame, 2003) and editor of the collection Queer Italia (Palgrave, 2004), along with other essays on Dante and the history of sexuality. He is currently finishing up a book manuscript entitled The Trace of the Queer in Dante’s Comedy.

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Adapted by Shaina Taub

and Laurie Woolery

Music and Lyrics by Shaina Taub

Directed by Braden Abraham

Music Direction by Michael Mahler

Choreography by Erin Kilmurray

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