Bradley Trout: Game Master of The Month
Each month we want to highlight one of our team members and the outstanding work they do! For the moth of November our Game Master, Bradley Trout, has gone above and beyond. Bradley always comes to work with a positive attitude and he jumps in and helps his co-workers without being asked. Have you had Bradley as one of your Game Masters at Cross Roads Escape Games? Let us know!
Let’s get to know Bradley with some fun questions!
Q: How long have you worked at Cross Roads Escape Games?
A: I’ve worked for Cross Roads for a little over a year- I began working here in August of 2018.
Q: How many escape games have you played?
A: Not as many as I’d like! Total, I’ve probably played 5-6. Before working for Cross Roads, I actually was very new to the idea of Escape Rooms. CREG helped introduce me to a whole new world of puzzles and games; one that I have very happily introduce to my friends and family.
Q: What is a unique hobby or interest you have?
A: I have a few interests and hobbies, but the most interesting are probably chemistry, my major, and journalism. I was actually the Editor-in-Chief of the Cypress Chronicle, the school newspaper at Cypress College, for several years!
Q: What is your favorite game to Game Master and why?
A: Probably the Fun House. With how fun, whimsical, and approachable it is, it makes for a great way to introduce someone to the world of Escape Games. Seeing the way people light up when they solve their first puzzle and how they interact with Zoltar is really fun and special, too.
Q: What is your favorite board game, movie, and book?
A: That’s a hard question! Currently, my favorite board game is probably a game called Dominant Species or the game Power Grid- both make players interact and compete in really fun, unusual ways, which is what I usually look for in a game.
My favorite book is probably The Martian, by Andy Weir. As for movies, my favorite is Re-Animator. Such a quote worthy movie- “And what would a note say, Dan? ‘Cat dead; details later’?”
Q: Without giving anything away, what is the funniest thing you have seen in a game?
A: Oh, man, you see funny things while Game Mastering everyday! In The Fun House, I once had a group of teenagers start bowing to Zoltar and giving him “offerings” of every object they found in the game-that was pretty funny.
Q: What is your favorite thing about being a Game Master?
A: Probably the process of giving hints to people- there’s an art to it, and seeing the light go on in someone’s head after you give them a just subtle enough hint to push them in the right direction, without giving away the puzzle, is really satisfying.
Geovanna Flores (RUBY): Geovanna Flores is a Los Angeles native and recent USC Thornton School of Music graduate. A classically trained opera singer, Flores enjoys performing opera as well as musical theatre, theatrical and commercial acting, and performance poetry. During her time at USC, Geovanna was seen with the USC Opera as a Nina in Ainadamar, played Lucy T. Slut in Avenue Q with the Musical Theatre Repatory of USC, and Consuelo in West Side Story in the historic first Kaufman School of Dance, Thornton School of Music and USC School of Dramatic Arts collaborative production. Flores is a proud Latina, speaks fluent Spanish and incorporates her passion for social justice and Latinx culture into her poetry. When not performing, auditioning, or in rehearsal, Flores teaches voice and piano in West Los Angeles. www.GeovannaFlores.com
Amy Melendrez (RUBY): Born and raised in L.A., Amy is a recent graduate of the University of Southern California and is excited to be jumping into the world of The Séance! Amy was most recently seen in Accidental Joy, a new musical workshop. While pursuing her B.A. in Theatre, she also attended the British American Drama Academy. She has appeared in various collegiate productions including Heathers, Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play, Time and the Conways, The Penelopiad, and the staged reading of Hipster Sweatshop.
Tara Virgil (RUBY/ PUPPETEER): Tara Virgil is extremely excited to be a part of Cross Roads Escape Games newest addition: The Séance. She has had 7 years of theater acting experience and is thrilled to be trying something new. She has been in numerous productions over the years, including The Little Shop of Horrors as Mrs. Mushnik and Aladdin as Genie. Tara hopes to pursue acting as a future endeavor and will hopefully be attending CSULB in the spring for a degree in theater.
Brittani Prenger (PUPPETEER): Brittani has been performing all of her life. She is currently at Knott’s Berry Farm as a train robber and she just wrapped up her first year at Ghost Town Alive as the town’s medium, Marley Dixon. Her Séance’s were a whole lot different than this one. Soon she will be performing with the Mixed Company Carolers all Christmas season. For the last 6 Halloween’s she has been scaring at Knott’s Scary Farm and Dark Harbor on the Queen Mary. Brittani is a big musical theatre girl, some of her more recent roles were Inga (Young Frankenstein), Brenda Strong (Catch Me if You Can), Hodel (Fiddler on the Roof), Kate Monster (Avenue Q), Baker’s Wife (Into the Woods) and Gingy/Sugarplum Fairy (Shrek). She is excited to be joining The Séance cast this season. 
Desiree Nguyen (PUPPETEER): Desiree Nguyen is feeling spooktacular about making her debut at Cross Roads Escape Games! She graduated from UCI in 2017 and literally majored in Drama. While she considers herself primarily a director these days, it’s always a thrill to return to acting. Desiree has directed with OC New Voices Playwrights and UCI. She’s also stage managed and crewed at several Orange County community theatres including Chance Theater, Stagedoor Repertory, Newport Theatre Arts Center, and New Swan Shakespeare Festival. Desiree builds puppets, enjoys clowning, and loves supporting diverse talent and new works onstage. As an actor, she often plays dead people. It’s probably because she’s also a little dead inside. Desiree would like to thank her family and friends for supporting her and putting up with her morbid sense of humor. She tones it down on social media though. Follow her work on Instagram: @theatricaldez
Stepy Kamei (PUPPETEER): Stepy Kamei has been working in immersive theater and haunts since 2015. Her recent immersive theater credits include award-nominated Internal and the Captivated series, while haunt credits include Horror Made Here and Dark Harbor. She can currently be seen performing in The Séance as well as Dark Harbor for the 2019 haunt season, and is collaborating as a writer on an upcoming immersive theater production.
Madison Rhoades (Writer, Director, Producer, Scenic Designer, Puppet Designer): Madison Rhoades is the Co-Owner and Creative Director of Cross Roads Escape Games. She graduated with a B.A. in Fine Arts and Theatre from USC in 2013. She was the scenic designer for many small theatres around Los Angeles. She performed in the interactive theatre show, Delusion, for it’s first 3 years and was the Lead Scenic Painter for The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor from 2013-2015. Madison always dreamed of owning her own theatre one day. After falling in love with escape rooms, she opened Cross Roads in 2016 with her husband and has been designing games and interactive experiences ever since. 
Luke Rhoades (Asst. Director, Producer, Technical Director): Luke Rhoades is the Co-Owner and Technical Director of Cross Roads Escape Games. He graduated Vanguard University in 2014 with a B.A. in Theatre. Upon graduating Luke was the Master Carpenter at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Hollywood. He opened his own Escape Room business with his wife in 2016.
Ian Momii (Lighting Designer): Ian’s background ranges all over the live event spectrum, having his hands in anything from theatre and concerts to corporate events and award shows. Locally in Los Angeles he is likely best known for his work as Lighting Designer and Technical Director for Delusion from 2014- spring 2019. Ian has also been part of Ceaseless Fun with their production of They Who Saw The Deep, and most recently Scout Expedition Co’s The Nest. Ian is excited to be returning to Cross Roads having helped Madison and Luke with The Hex Room and The Fun House.
Lauren Orgill (Costume Designer/ Prop Master): Lauren is proud to be working at Cross Roads Escape Games again after assisting with costumes and props for The Hex Room, The Fun House, and The Psych Ward. You may also recognize her as Nurse Ratched promoting The Asylum mini-game. Lauren has a degree in Interior Design, and she has been sewing both interior projects and custom costumes for over 30 years. 
Christian Mutter (Special Effects): Christian Mutter is currently a Mechanical Engineering student at CSU Fullerton and enjoys tinkering with robotics and programming. He is excited to have the opportunity to apply those interests in The Séance. 
The Séance has been something I have always wanted to do since we very first opened. It was actually planned to be one of our very first experiences. Back in 2015/2016 immersive theater was still very new, and even escape rooms were only know by a small handful of people, so we decided to wait.
Choose a game at Cross Roads to be your milestone marker and celebrate your escape room accomplishments. We will even award your special player with a FREE certificate, documenting this historical achievement.
