"A visionary with a knack for creating experiences that transcend the norm."
- Geekadelphia
"Engaging, lovable and extremely funny...inspired lunacy." - Talkin' Broadway
Donna Oblongata is a critically-acclaimed performer, social practice artist, and award-winning writer. Her work has been described as, "big, bold, and endlessly impressive" - Baltimore City Paper and, “balancing on the thrilling precipice of pleasure and danger” – New Orleans Box Office. She has performed at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Ars Nova (NY), and shared the stage with Mikhail Baryshnikov in Slava’s Snow Show.
Her work has been supported by a MacDowell Fellowship, the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation, and more. Her protest art in support of Gaza was recently acquired by the Jewish Museum in Washington D.C. Her social practice project Vote By Pal can be seen at VoteByPal.com. As a performer, she has toured her own work extensively throughout North America, Europe and New Zealand for almost two decades.
Donna came up through the US punk and anarchist scene, which continues to drive and inform each of her projects. In her early days, she built a loyal following through years of touring (and breaking down) in old vans, bringing ambitious, original performance to basements, squats and vacant lots across the US. She now holds an MFA from Towson University and regularly collaborates with grassroots activists to bring aesthetically ambitious visuals and spectacle to their protests and campaigns.
Currently, Donna continues to tour her latest evening-length solo performance, The Van Gogh Shogh, most recently heading to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Privy Privy, her immersive installation with Patrick Costello, is currently touring the US and has been seen at Miami Art Week, SXSW and at Satellite Art Gallery in NYC. Development of her immersive musical about the Earth First! movement, (EF! A New Musical) is ongoing.