The Doyenne

Episode 5: Yvette Baltazar aka Millie MayNamed after her beloved grandmother but powered by pure chaos, Millie May has been shaking her shimmy all over Chicago since 2010.Taking campy bump-and-grind to a full comedic frenzy, she puts the oooh in buffoonery. With high-energy tassel twirling, fearless physical comedy, and a sparkly stage presence that refuses to behave, Millie May has become an iconic Chicago staple and a beloved multifaceted force of fabulous nonsense. Whether she’s putting you in a trance with her tassel twirling or stealing hearts (and occasionally diginity), Millie May guarantees an experience that will leave you wanting for more!IG: https://www.instagram.com/milliemayburlesque/ To hear more, visit thedoyenne.substack.com

Episode 4: Victoria LibertorePerformer, Actress, Writer, Improv Artist"Victoria Libertore is one of the most original and subversive solo performers that I have ever met. She is the lovechild of Bert Williams and Marlene Dietrich."Rebecca Feldman, Creator & Tony Nominee, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee & writer for Transparent"The world she creates is slightly askew, sometimes eerie, but always strangely real and profoundly funny."Scott Morfee, Off-Broadway Producer, Killer Joe, Bug"I was utterly blown away by Victoria Libertore. She's inspiring as all hell."Holly Hughes, Obie-Award-Winning Performance ArtistBIO: Victoria Libertore’s work includes nine theatrical solo shows, performance art, variety, burlesque, and improv. She has performed her work throughout NYC from Coney Island's boardwalk to Off-Broadway, including venues such as Barrow Street Theater, Carolines on Broadway, Joe's Pub, Joyce Soho, PS122 as well as in Boston, Chicago, Montreal, Philadelphia, Provincetown, Toronto and Washington D.C. Victoria emcees in theaters, comedy clubs and at events impersonating Liza Minnelli in which she utilizes her improvisational skills to make "people laugh so hard that their faces hurt."Libertore is passionate about encouraging other artists to create their own work and has curated dozens of artists from performance, variety arts, burlesque, music, comedy, and dance, with a focus on LGBTQ+ and BIPOC artists. In addition to facilitating her own performance and writing workshops, she has taught at Otterbein University and Hastings College. She was a Humana Festival Finalist, has received a Young Alumni Award for Research and Creative Achievement from Otterbein University, and is a recipient of the Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award given by the NYC Innovative Theatre Awards. Victoria has received support through artist residencies, space grants, funding, and retreats from Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Dance New Amsterdam, Dixon Place, Earthdance, and New Dance Alliance. She has a BFA in theater from Otterbein University and has studied various approaches to acting, including Grotowski, Chekov, Viewpoints, long-form improvisation, and Balinese mask. In Los Angeles, Victoria has performed her original work at The Victory Theater and at the LA LGBT Center and appeared in Flaming Match, a short film by Alan Natale. In Los Angeles, Victoria has performed in The Good Little Widow, The Prodigal Son, At the Wedding, and Great God Pan.  To hear more, visit thedoyenne.substack.com

Episode 3: Elizabeth Hertiz CortésElizabeth Herlitz Cortés is an opera singer, producer, and strategist known online as “Soprano Big Sister.” With over 25 years in the arts and 15 years in fundraising and policy-adjacent work, she translates complex systems—power, money, and policy—into plain English for everyday audiences. Her work sits at the intersection of art and civic life, grounded in the belief that artists are not decoration, but essential interpreters of the human condition and guardians of the public sphere.Where to Find ElizabethTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sopranobigsisterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sopranobigsister  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sopranobigsister  Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sopranobigsister   To hear more, visit thedoyenne.substack.com

Episode 2: Ronit BezalelRonit Bezalel is a writer, photographer, and filmmaker based in Chicago, Illinois. Her work focuses on the underdog, the marginalized, and those living outside the mainstream.Bezalel began her career at the National Film Board of Canada, where she directed the documentary When Shirley Met Florence. After moving to Chicago in 1994 to study film at Columbia College Chicago, she embarked on a 20-year project documenting the demolition of the Cabrini-Green public housing development and the displacement of a Black community from the city’s North Side. Her two award-winning films on this subject, Voices of Cabrini: Remaking Chicago's Public Housing and 70 Acres in Chicago, have screened worldwide and served as catalysts for discussion on affordable housing issues. For this work, she was named one of Newsweek magazine’s “Top 10 Women of the 21st Century.”Ronit's photography has been featured in Modern Luxury Magazine, Block Club Chicago, Chicagoist, Gaper’s Block, Hyde Park Herald, and Windy City Times. She has also exhibited at The Center for Photojournalism, Chicago Fine Arts Salon, Everybody's Coffee, R. Public House, and the PO Box Collective Gallery in Chicago. To hear more, visit thedoyenne.substack.com

The Doyenne is a podcast by, for, and about women/trans/nonbinary/afab artists over 40.Episode 1: Cristal SabbaghBio: Cristal Sabbagh is a 54-year-old Chicago-based interdisciplinary performer, dancer, art educator, and mom. She is the founder and curator of Freedom From and Freedom To, an improvisational jam with dance and movement artists and live musicians paired by chance. She is also a member of Baltimore-based Move Move Collective.Find Cristal online:IG: cristalsabbagh, freedom_from_and_freedom_toWeb: https://www.ffftchicago.com/Mentioned in the pod:Butoh Artist Nicole Legette: https://www.3arts.org/artist/nicole-legette/Butoh Artist Sharkey: https://www.3arts.org/artist/nicole-legette/Butoh Master Diego Piñon: https://www.facebook.com/diegopinon.brm/Move Move Collective Founder Peter Redgrave: https://www.peterredgraveperforms.com/Nejla Yatkin: https://www.ny2dance.com/Elastic Arts Foundation: https://elasticarts.org/ To hear more, visit thedoyenne.substack.com