Journey Beier’28 and Beatriz Gigante’27 held their Beloit and Beyond presentation in Richardson Auditorium at 11:20 a.m, where they shared about their experience performing a play at the Arts and Human Rights Festival in Serbia. The festival was organized by DAH Theatre, a collective that uses theater to engage in creating art and social change.
The play, “A Peace of Cookie” was written and directed by Amy Sarno, associate professor and chair of the PART department. The story examines themes of social isolation and American capitalism, exploring how capitalism impacts the history of the objects we own. Rehearsals began in January, several months before the festival which was held June 10-13, 2025.
Gigante and Beier had the opportunity to attend workshops focusing around the festival’s themes of art and social change, as well as engage with immersive art pieces. Beier cited talking with Serbian students involved in protesting government negligence as a particularly memorable experience. They also both found a workshop titled “Thinking Peace” to be an interesting experience. The workshop involved collaborating with other attendees to roleplay as different historical figures and debate about whether or not they stood for peace.
Gigante found herself appreciating other cultures, as well as her own, even more after attending the festival. Beier found a large takeaway to be the power of art, saying, “Art is a vital tool for the marginalized to regain power from the oppressor.”
They ended the presentation by performing an excerpt from “A Peace of Cookie,” featuring an impassioned monologue by Gigante, which earned several rounds of applause from the audience.
Featured image: DAH Theatre
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