The Weeping Witch Playbill
The Weeping Witch
By Cross Roads Escape Games
Crew:
Game Design: Madison & Luke Rhoades
Scenic Design: Madison Rhoades
Lighting Design: Ian Momii
Special Effects: Christian Mutter
Sound Design: Dan Waldkirch
Lighting and Sound Technician: Ian Momii
Master Carpenter: Luke Rhoades
Voice Cast:
Weeping Witch: Jonica Patella
Little Girl Radio Ghost: Wendy Hellmuth
Man Radio Ghost: Eric O’Keeffe
Ghost Doll: Lois Hellmuth
Special thanks to Lauren Orgill, Blake Orgill, Geoff Durham, Sean Christopher, Creepy Duck Design, Slaughterhouse FX, Cooper Floors, Slater Wood, and all of our Beta Testers!
Crew Biographies:
Madison Rhoades (Game Designer & Scenic 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. After falling in love with escape rooms, she and her husband opened Cross Roads Escape Games in 2016 and together have designed The Hex Room, The Fun House, The Psych Ward, and two mini-games. Madison is excited to be stepping beyond the veil again after writing, directing, and designing the interactive theatre show, The Séance, in 2019.
Luke Rhoades (Game Designer & Master Carpenter)
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 Supervisor for Delusion from 2014-2021 and Scout Expedition Co.’s The Nest. Other recent work includes Ceaseless Fun Loser and JFI Night Fever. Ian is honored to be brought back to work on The Weeping Witch after helping Cross Roads Escape Games on their production of The Seance.
Dan Waldkirch (Sound Designer)
Dan Waldkirch is a musician, artist, and chess player from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. His music has been heard on over 40 primetime television shows and major motion pictures, including It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Twilight Zone, and Minari. He composed the music and sound for all of Cross Roads’ escape rooms and experiences, and his football musical The Unsackable Man recently enjoyed a four-week run at Zombie Joe’s Underground in North Hollywood. He’s excited to work on The Weeping Witch, but even more excited to play it!
Christian Mutter (Special Effects)
Christian is an avid maker and tinkerer who loves to find inventive ways of mixing art and science. He graduated from California State University Fullerton in 2019 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He now works at ArtCenter as a shop instructor helping students realize their creative ideas. Christian is thrilled to be back at Cross Roads after having worked on The Seance.
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.
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.
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. 
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.