With the Dead: Performance Philosophy, Dying, and Grief

An Introduction

Authors

  • Laura Cull Ó Maoilearca
  • Will Daddario
  • Rajni Shah

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Author Biographies

Laura Cull Ó Maoilearca

Laura Cull Ó Maoilearca is an artist, writer and researcher based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. She holds a joint appointment as Lector (the Dutch title for professors at applied universities) of the Academy of Theatre and Dance at Amsterdam University of the Arts, and as special Professor of Performance Philosophy at the University of Amsterdam. Her latest publications are Interspecies Performance (2024) co-edited with Florence Fitzgerald-Allsopp for Performance Research Books and the expanded publication project, An [Interrupted] Bestiary (2022). Laura is a founding core convener of the Performance Philosophy network and an editor of its journal and book series.

Will Daddario

Will Daddario is a performance philosopher, clinical mental health counselor, and clinical addictions specialist at Nova Transformations in Matthews, North Carolina. His forthcoming book is The Last Laugh: Grief, Death, and The Comic (Ethics Press, 2026). Previous publications include, with Matthew Goulish, Pitch and Revelation (Punctum) and numerous edited anthologies. He is one of the founding members of the Performance Philosophy network. 

Rajni Shah

Rajni Shah has been making performance since 1999. From 2005–2012 they worked with other artists under the names ‘Rajni Shah Theatre’ and ‘Rajni Shah Projects’ to create a trilogy of works exploring moments of cultural identity and alienation (Mr Quiver, Dinner with America, and Glorious) and alongside this a series of public interventions exploring gift economies between strangers, entitled small gifts. From 2018–2020, after completing a practice-based PhD at Lancaster University, they accepted a Horizon Postdoctoral Fellowship at Concordia University, working with Luis Carlos Sotelo Castro to set up the Acts of Listening Lab, a physical location where artists and community members gather to research listening in post-conflict societies. In 2021, Rajni published their first monograph, Experiments in Listening, as part of the Performance Philosophy series with Rowman & Littlefield. They are currently a Researcher and Head-Heart of the THIRD programme at DAS Graduate School within the Academy of Theatre and Dance, University of the Arts Amsterdam (AHK).

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Published

26-02-2025

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 2 (2024): With the Dead: Performance Philosophy, Dying, and Grief

Section

Editorial

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Copyright (c) 2025 Laura Cull Ó Maoilearca, Will Daddario, Rajni Shah

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