Edited by Dorothy Dubrule and published by Insert Press, Being Work is a collection of essays by dance and theater artists that offer access to varied experiences of performing in live exhibitions. While providing very personal, human perspectives on what it feels like to perform in visual arts spaces, Being Work asks its audience how a performer’s labor is perceived and valued in these spaces, and what new possibilities might unfurl within the, at times fraught, coexistence of the two mediums.

Join Dubrule, illustrator Eileen Echikson and contributing author Casey Brown for a conversation moderated by Sharon Hayes wherein local performers will be invited to share their experiences from visual art gigs and co-envision an expansive future for performance labor in galleries, museums and art fairs. The event will also feature readings from the book, an opportunity to purchase copies, and a community celebration of the launch.

Dorothy Dubrule is a choreographer and performer based in Los Angeles. Her choreography is often made in collaboration with people who do not identify as dancers and has been performed in theaters as well as bars, clubs, galleries, sound stages and sports arenas. The content of her choreography draws inspiration from film and community theater. Prior to moving to LA, she danced with DIY performance art collective Club Lyfestile and comedic fly girl crew Body Dreamz in Philadelphia. She has worked with visual artists, musicians, comedians, choreographers and directors such as Emily Mast, Jon Daly, Kate Watson-Wallace, Lea Anderson, Lisel, Melinda Ring, Milka Djordjevich, Narcissister, Tino Sehgal, Trulee Hall and Zoe Aja Moore, among others.

Dorothy was the Executive Director of Pieter Performance Space, a non-profit platform for movement artists, healers and activists based in LA from 2017 to 2022. From arts non-profit leadership she transitioned to organizational operations with a focus on the care and resourcing of humans in the workplace.