Journey to Oz

Joseph Michaels trained at the Mason Gross School of the Arts. International: Exit the Wizard (Gorilla Rep / Edinburgh Fringe). Regional: Our Town (Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey), Much Ado About Nothing (Arden Theatre); Mourning Becomes Electra (Quintessence Theater Group). Philadelphia-area: As You Like It (Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre); The Diary of Anne Frank (Media Theatre); A Flea in Her Ear (Hedgerow Theatre); Underneath the Lintel (Jersey Fringe); Traveling Light (Philly Fringe); Better Angels (Delaware Humanities Forum); Shades of Poe (Fractured Mirror Productions); Proof (Neumann University). Screen: Philadelphia: The Great Experiment. Thanks as always to Jo.

Naja Selby-Morton An actor, teaching artist, hardcore Jersey Girl, and MoM (Mother of Multiples). Naja has been working with the Experiential Theater Company since 2014, appearing in productions of Sunjata Kamalenya (Alaska Junior Theater, Children’s Theater of Charlotte, Walton Arts Center) The Adventures of Perseus, and Journey to Oz (Zoellner Arts Center, PA). Other credits include Clybourne Park (Shadowland Theater, NY), Electra (Theatre Row, NYC), and ‘da Kink in my Hair (Harbourfront Centre, Toronto). Naja teaches acting and public speaking at The Institute of Music for Children, a non-profit organization in NJ, and creates original work as a member of the Zaman Dance Theater Collective. Alum of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Christopher Parks Christopher is the Artistic Director for both Experiential Theater Company and Garden State Children’s Theater Company. As a playwright, Christopher has written many of the plays for both companies, including The Odyssey Experience, Sunjata Kamalenya, Journey to Oz, Aesop’s Fables, Healthier Ever After, and The Adventures of Perseus. Selected directing credits include On Us (Rose Bruford, London), Dream Within a Dream: The Spirit of Poe (Florida Repertory Theatre), Bear State of Mind (co-directed with Kassie Misiewicz, Trike Theatre), Arabian Nights, The Tempest, a Puppet Play (McCarter Theatre Center), and Journey to Oz (Long Island Children’s Museum). Christopher created the interactive style of performance called experiential theater and guest lectures on the subject at universities and theaters in the U.S. and Europe. Former Director of Education at the McCarter Theatre Center. Graduate of Mason Gross, School of the Arts. www.exptheater.org www.gsctc.org

Alexis Slocum Alexis is thrilled to be going on this Journey to Oz with all of you! As a graduate from the University of Kentucky, Season 19 Acting Intern at Florida Repertory Theatre, and NYU Stonestreet alumni, some of her favorite roles include: Annabella/Pamela/Margaret in The 39 Steps, Chris in Dancing at Lughnasa, Alice in Alice in Wonderland, and Sophie Scholl in We Will Not Be Silent at Florida Rep PlayLab. Special thanks to Christopher Parks for believing in her!

Brady Wease SSTI: Shear Madness, Florida Rep: Shear Madness (Directed by Bruce Jordan), Damascus (Staged Reading), Miss Nelson is Missing, A Dream Within a Dream; The Spirit of Poe. Triad Stage: A Christmas Carol, Snow Queen, All’s Well That Ends Well. Educational: Into the Woods (Conducted by Dominick Amendum), Hairspray, Cabaret, A Year with Frog and Toad, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Twelfth Night, Spamalot. Education: BFA Acting, UNCG 2016.

Christopher Parks Christopher is the Artistic Director for both Experiential Theater Company and Garden State Children’s Theater Company. As a playwright, Christopher has written many of the plays for both companies, including The Odyssey Experience, Sunjata Kamalenya, Journey to Oz, Aesop’s Fables, Healthier Ever After, and The Adventures of Perseus. Selected directing credits include On Us (Rose Bruford, London), Dream Within a Dream: The Spirit of Poe (Florida Repertory Theatre), Bear State of Mind (co-directed with Kassie Misiewicz, Trike Theatre), Arabian Nights, The Tempest, a Puppet Play (McCarter Theatre Center), and Journey to Oz (Long Island Children’s Museum). Christopher created the interactive style of performance called experiential theater and guest lectures on the subject at universities and theaters in the U.S. and Europe. Former Director of Education at the McCarter Theatre Center. Graduate of Mason Gross, School of the Arts. www.exptheater.org www.gsctc.org

Experiential Theater Company The Experiential Theater Company, brings immersive, interactive theater to young audiences (TYA) throughout the United States, Ireland, and United Kingdom. Their TYA work has been seen at theaters and performing arts centers all over the country and abroad, including Alaska Junior Theater; McCarter Theatre Center; The John F. Kennedy Center (New Visions/New Voices); Children’s Theater of Charlotte; New Jersey Renaissance Kingdom; Long Island Children’s Museum; Maryland Publick Playhouse; Goodwill Theatre; Acadiana Center for the Arts; Trike Theatre for Youth; Gateway Playhouse, Rose Bruford, London; Roscommon Arts Center; Lime Tree Theater; The Black Box; San Angelo PAC; Segrestrom PAC; Walton Arts Center; and Florida Repertory Theatre. Experiential Theater Company has the unique distinction of being the first-ever American theater company to be invited to perform at both the prestigious Babaró International Festival for Children in Galway, Ireland and the Bualadh Bos Children’s Festival in Limerick. www.exptheater.org

Children’s Theatre of Charlotte Founded in 1948, Children’s Theatre of Charlotte (CTC) has grown to become one of the top theatre and education organizations for young people in the United States. Nationally recognized for the breadth and strength of its programs, CTC provides more than 250,000 experiences for children and families a year with technically imaginative productions and wide-ranging education programs for young people. Each year CTC mounts professional productions for children and families, with the curtain rising more than 600 times during a season – that’s more than any other theatre company in the state of North Carolina. The Charlotte Observer’s theatre critic called Children’s Theatre of Charlotte “the city’s leading professional troupe,” and each season their actors, designers and directors receive numerous awards for their work on the stage. Another critic called CTC’s work “the most technically imaginative and resourceful theatre productions in the region.” www.ctcharlotte.org