October 2023 HHARP Residency: Shannon Matesky

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) welcomes actress, producer, director, and writer Shannon Matesky to campus on Monday, October 16-23, 2023 for a series of engagements, panels, workshops and performances on and off campus.

Shannon will be the featured artist for the 17th Annual Passing the Mic Intergenerational Hip Hop Festival on Friday and Saturday, Saturday, October 20-21, 2023 (free registration below). In addition to her public appearances, she is doing a number of engagements on campus with students. She will be in a moderated conversation at the UW Graduate School of Business, Bolz Center for Arts Entrepreneurship, as well as hosting an interdisciplinary creative workshop with students of the First Wave Program and the Studio Learning Community, as well as guest lecturing in the Department of Theater and Drama. Post Shannon’s residency, you will be able to watch an in-depth interview with Shannon highlighting all of her experiences here on UW–Madison’s campus. Please make sure to register for her public events below. All public events are free admission and for all ages. Registration will guarantee you a seat in each venue, as well as sign you up for updates about the remaining HHARP residencies taking place 2023-24.

About the Artist

SHANNON MATESKY is an Actress, Producer, Director and Writer. Shannon recently made her Broadway Debut in 6 time Tony Nominated, Aint No Mo’ by Jordan E. Cooper at the Belasco Theater in New York. Shannon has also been seen at Steppenwolf Theater, La Jolla Theater, and in many non-traditional venues. Matesky was a member of the 2018 Directors Lab at Lincoln Center and BARS at The Public Theater in New York, and has been an assistant director at Chicago’s Court Theater and Goodman Theater.

As a poet, she has featured in venues across the country and has been seen on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, Nylon Magazine, and BET Online. She has taught writing workshops, led panels, and been a featured speaker at many universities. Shannon is also one of the core writers for Chicago’s annual hit, The Fly Honey Show. Shannon is also the author of four solo performances, She Think She Grown, We Gotta Eat, The Saga of the Return, and Heartbreak Hotel: Whitney.

Shannon has produced live events and festivals such as Urban Word NYC’s Grand Slam finals at the Apollo Theater (NYC), Brave New Voices International Teen Poetry Festival (Multiple Cities), and the Life is Living Community Festival (Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Oakland). Shannon also successfully accomplished three year run of Queer Abstract, a monthly QTPOC variety show in Brooklyn, NY which featured over 300 performers that she created and hosted.