Cast

Jerry "Yi Hang" Zou, is a Junior BFA Theatre Performance major at Chapman University! Jerry plays the role of Boone Goone and is the fight choreographer for Mystery Forest. Jerry is from Beijing, China. He is a certified stage combat performer recognized by the Society of American Fight Directors, having certifications in Unarmed combat, Rapier and Dagger, and Broadsword. He is beyond thrilled to have "Mystery Forest" as his fight choreography and stage combat debut at Chapman. Going forward, he will be directing The Lesson by Eugene Ionesco, the next all-Asian cast theatre production at Chapman, produced by @crossthelinechapman

Nat Pendergraft, a graduate student in the War, Diplomacy, and Society program, is still confused as to why they got cast as a stoic character. You may have seen them in such iconic roles as Dingle in Elf Bowling, Brad in Rocky Horror, or Floop in Spies who are Kids the Musical. Nat is a member of The Player’s Society and has logged over 800 hours of Stardew Valley. Both them and their character tonight use they/them pronouns, please be respectful of this. They would like to thank their wonderful girlfriend for all their love and support and their parents for putting them in theater after they sucked at sports.

Ansley Teal is a first year Theatre Performance major from Albany, NY. This is Ansley’s first show at Chapman, but some of her favorite past roles include Ariel (The Little Mermaid), Winifred Banks (Mary Poppins), and Sandy Dumbrowski (Grease). On the technical side, she is the former leading designer for both her high school theater and community theater. Outside of theatre, Ansley enjoys drawing, watching movies, and singing with Chapman’s Simply Vocale. She would like to offer her thanks to the cast and crew for all their hard work, and her apologies to anyone unfortunate enough to see her walking home in the dead of night with her stage makeup on. She hopes you enjoy the show :)

Alyssa Runyeon is a sophomore BFA Screen Acting major, Honors College and Dance minor at Chapman. Here at Chapman Alyssa has performed as Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet, choreographed CSOP’s production of 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and starred in several short films in Dodge. Other credits include Doralee Rhodes in 9 to 5, Sandy in Grease, and a featured dancer/singer in the Macy’s Tree Lighting Ceremony. When Alyssa is not performing you can always find her getting involved with philanthropic efforts through her sorority Delta Gamma! She is so excited about this incredible project and thanks Kaelin as well as the rest of the crew for trusting her with this wonderful role. She hopes you enjoy the show and thanks you for coming!

Victoria Lucas is a sophomore Music BA with a voice emphasis and a focus in film music. She is currently co-music director for Simply Vocale, an all-treble a cappella group here at Chapman. She is also a part of the University Singers. Vicky has not done theatre since elementary school, and she is so excited to have had this opportunity to make her Chapman debut! This show has sparked her love for acting once more, and she is so grateful for the chance to make such good friends and memories. She hopes the show is as magical for you as it is for her!

Delaney is an undeclared first year student, and she is beyond excited to be a part of the Mystery Forest Project. She has been partaking in theater since she was 9-years-old, and she loved being on the wardrobe team for this year's performance of Metamorphoses here at Chapman. She excited to continue exploring all of the opportunities Chapman presents for her in the coming years!

Rhea Chhagan is a junior B.A. Theatre Studies major with an emphasis in Directing and

Performance and minoring in Sociology. She is a first-generation student and loves to get

involved in her community through campus involvement and volunteer work. Currently, Rhea is

a part of Alpha Kappa Delta, C.A.S.T., CSOP, and the Promising Futures Program and is always

looking for new ways to support her community. After transferring into the College of Performing

Arts Theatre Department, this is Rhea’s first performance at Chapman University. She is very

excited to start this new adventure and hopes to make performing a habit in the future. During

her time in university, Rhea’s goal is to obtain an internship in the entertainment industry and is

ready to take on any challenges that may come her way. In terms of future plans, she does not

know specifically what she wants to do for work, but hopes to gain further experience from her

internships and school and apply these skills into her work. She is optimistic for her future and

aims to work her way up any path through hard work and determination. Overall, this show has

allowed her to bring out her creative side as well as bond with her cast members to create a fun

and memorable experience.

Chloé den Hartog is a freshman Psychology BA here at Chapman. This is her first performance at Chapman. She has performed in high school theater and has also helped with the technical side for some of those productions. She is hoping to participate in many more shows in her future years at Chapman. Chloé is not sure what her future is going to look like but she is excited to gain different experiences and grow as an individual.

Alexa May is a first-year Theatre Performance Major at Chapman University and plans on a minor in Holocaust studies. This will be her first production here at Chapman. Alexa is from Las Vegas, Nevada. She is currently a member of Guerrilla Shakespeare and is involved in various performance endeavors. She looks forward to expanding her community and sharing her love for theatre with others. Some of her favorite roles include: Elma Duckworth (Bus Stop), Sharpay (High School Musical), Title role in Cinderella, Gangster (Drowsy Chaperone), Wednesday (The Addams Family). Dorothy (Ozma of Oz) and Jovie in elf. Thank you to Kaelin and the amazing cast of Mystery Forest for their support, love and friendship.

Dominic Turan is a sophomore majoring in Animation & VFX with a 2D emphasis. Though animation has been his focus for the last few years, he has always held a strong passion for music and acting. After putting his acting passion on the backburner for quite some time, he’s hoping this play will work to get him back in the saddle, and that he can continue to act throughout his time here at Chapman. This is his first theater production in over 5 years, so he hopes you enjoy his performance!

Elerie Sheirbon is an undeclared freshman here at Chapman. This is her first theater performance in college and is really enjoying it. Elerie hopes to continue performing no matter what major she chooses because theater has always brought her joy. Elerie has made so many friends while preparing for the show, and she appreciates every single cast members hospitality and kindness. In addition to theater, Elerie enjoys dancing and making art. This show allowed her to meet many different people with similar interests, and helped her grow as a performer.

Cate Goglia is a freshman theatre performance major at Chapman. This is her first production as a Chapman student but keep an eye out for As You Like It and If You Love Me For Me later this Fall. She is having an absolute blast so far and can't wait to see where her Chapman journey goes. Have a very fairy magical evening!

Victoria Hess is a freshman theatre ba student from Valencia California. She is hoping to have an area of study in education and a minor in secondary education. Her main goal every day is to dress like a Muppet which unfortunately conflicts with dressing appropriately for the weather, Victoria is willing to make that sacrifice. Her actual dream however is to become a high school theatre teach. This is her first show at Chapman University, and she is very excited to be playing a character that is basically just herself at max energy. Her hobbies include looking for cats in the ETC parking lot and giving cast members candy. After Mystery Forest Victoria will be in “The Lesson” directed by Jerry Zou and Gshakes’ “As You Like It” directed by Theo Wood.

Karli Jean Lonnquist, 18, is a multidisciplinary theatre artist from Portland, Oregon. She is attending Chapman University for a B.A. in Theatre Studies with an area of Study in Dramaturgy and Literature and an intended minor in Disability Studies. Karli has 12 years of professional and educational experience in acting, singing, dancing, playwriting, directing and costume design. She has performed in shows ranging from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Egeus, Northwest Children’s Theater) to Puffs: Or, Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic (Hannah and others, Jesuit High School Portland) to The SpongeBob Musical (Karen Plankton, Jesuit High School Portland). Furthermore, Karli is a playwright, whose writing primarily highlights the voices and struggles of young people through surrealist and absurdist storytelling. She has written multiple plays, including lemongrass, honey, whiskey., which she performed at the Young Professionals company in their Breaking Character show series, Archer, Archer, which was produced at Jesuit High School Portland in their 2021 Playwriting Festival, and Gloaming, which was featured in Lakewood Theatre Company’s Young Playwright’s Festival. Karli is passionate about amplifying the voices of people with disabilities in the arts, and hopes to someday start her own theatre company dedicated to teaching playwriting and creating new works with and for this community.

Skylar Hunt is a Freshman BFA Theater Performance major at Chapman University. This is their first performance on campus. They’ve been doing theater for twelve years and are excited to kick off their Chapman career with Mystery Forest.

Carina Leland is a sophomore Theatre BA here at Chapman. Previously she has been ASM for Our Town, Native Gardens, and Elf Bowling. She was the stage manager for Horse Girls and Tunnel Vision. Carina is also the Cabaret Coordinator for Chapman on Broadway, and an Executive Assistant on the Club 55 Board. She mostly performed in high school theater, but has only been on the technical side of productions in college. This is Carina's Chapman debut! She hopes you enjoy the performance!

Lindsay Newland is a senior Television Writing and Production and Theatre Tech double major with a Production Design minor. She is the Assistant Director of Mystery Forest and plays the ensemble role of Laurie. She co-directed TPS’s production of Much Ado About Nothing. She has also been in TPS’s version of Princess Bride as Miracle Max, TPS’s version of Sky High as Speed, and ensemble in TPS’s version of Spy’s Who Are Kids. She is a lover of interactive theatre and can’t wait to share it with both long-time lovers of interactive theatre and those who this is there first time.

Jess Lewis is a junior BFA theatre performance major with a minor in musical theatre. Her most recent credits include Cinderella in Into the Woods at Riverside City College and Natalie (u/s) in Next to Normal at the Chance theater. Chapman credits include Mary Girard in The Insanity of Mary Girard and a historic narrator/soloist in Chapman Celebrates. Jess is so excited to be part of the Mystery Forest Project, and hopes you enjoy the show!