My name is Orion Risk and I am  a PhD Candidate in Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, specializing in performance studies and feminist care theory. Most generally, my work explores discourses of care in gender, communication, and performance. 

At age 18, I started professional work in theatre as part of a seven-person ensemble. After seven years acting, managing, teaching, and assistant directing, I began interdisciplinary studies at the University of Northern Iowa. I graduated with honors and enrolled at UW–Madison for my MA in the fall of 2019. Since matriculation, I have earned Master of Arts degrees from UW–Madison in Gender and Women's Studies and Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies. 

I am a member of the UW Ethics of Care Initiative, train graduate student teachers in the College of Letters and Science Teaching and Learning Administration, and have over 15 years of experience in theatre and the performing arts.