Cast
Sara Sadjadi | MAR – Sara (any) is stoked to be making her Red Theater AND Chicago debut! She was previously in Love’s Labour’s Lost (Door Shakespeare Company), McNeal (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), A Christmas Carol (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), Troilus and Cressida (Prague Shakespeare Company) and The Death of Kings (Verona Shakespeare Fringe Festival). Sara is a recent graduate of University of California, Santa Barbara with a BFA in Theater where she performed in Dance Nation, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Crucible among other works. She is passionate about Shakespeare, devised movement, and did she mention Shakespeare? Sara is represented by Gray Talent Group. Love to all her friends from coast to coast. sarasadjadi.com
Alice Wu | FAITH – Alice (she/her) is SO thrilled to be back doing this amazing show with Red Theater. CHICAGO: VEAL, Revolution u/s (A Red Orchid Theatre), The Skin of Our Teeth (Remy Bumppo), The Pets (Bramble Theatre Company), Work Hard Have Fun Make History (First Floor Theatre), Time is a Color and the Color is Blue (Avalanche Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Midsommer Flight), Arabia, Arabia! (The Plagiarists), ADDITIONAL: The Many Deaths of Nathan Stubblefield (Humana Festival of New American Plays), Circle Mirror Transformation u/s (Actors Theatre of Louisville). TV/FILM/WEB: Chicago Fire; Empire; Hive; Wheelhouse; The Boy Code, Tears to a Glass Eye. EDUCATION: BFA at North Dakota State University and the Professional Training Company acting apprenticeship at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Alice is an ensemble member of Avalanche Theatre and Red Theater and is represented by DDO Artists Agency.
Laura Michele Erle | JULIE – Laura (she/her) is overjoyed to be making her Red Theater debut! Chicago credits include: Aline in Scaramouche: A New Musical (City Lit Theater), Mina & Dr. Van Helsing in Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors (Lazy Susan Theatre Co.), Shannon (u/s) in Friends with Guns (A Short Leap Theatre Co.) and Margaret in Silent Sky (Citadel Theatre). Select Regional credits: Pauline in Saturday Night Fever (MacHaydn Theater), Fanny Dashwood/Lucy Steele in Kate Hamill's Sense & Sensibility, Governess in The Turn of the Screw (Lost Nation Theater). Laura co-authored the play Three Sisters, Four Women, a feminist reimagining of Chekhov's classic, and played Irina in the premiere production at the Flea Theater in NYC. She is an ensemble member with A Short Leap Theatre Co. and is represented by Lily’s Talent. This one is for her mom, who led the singing at Sunday School for years. www.lauraerle.com
Sara BenBella | MAR (U/s) – Sara (they/them/any) is so excited to join Red Theater as an understudy for their production of Church Hurt. Sara recently returned to Chicago after graduating with their MFA in Acting from Western Illinois University. This summer, they co-directed Elephant in the Womb with Black Cat Theater and directed The Merry Wives of Windsor with Stone Soup Shakespeare. Some of their favorite credits include: Hamlet/Hamlet (Timucua Arts Foundation), Stephano/The Tempest (Twilight Theatre), Father/Eurydice (WIU), Coriolanus/Coriolanus (WIU), Garry/Noises Off (WIU), Director/A Midsummer Night's Dream (Big Noise Theatre), and Director/Macbeth (Stone Soup Shakespeare). sarabenbella.com
Mindy Shore | FAITH (U/s) – Mindy (she/her) is a proud Red Theater artistic cohort member and is elated to be back with the crew after working on Kairos and Vinegar Tom. Other acting credits include Miracle on South Division St. (Citadel), This One Will Grow (Glass Apple), Reap The Grove (Artemisia), Tutus (Haven), Bechdel Fest (Broken Nose), and Hitting Guac Bottom (Second City Training Center). A Short Leap Theatre ensemble member, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign BFA graduate, Pop Culture Jeopardy! loser. Love to Ben, Hoda & the cats. She dedicates this and every performance to her mom.
Hailey Hance | JULIE (U/s) – Hailey (any) is a Chicago-based actor, buzzing to bring their Missouri Bible Belt roots to life in their Red Theater debut! Hailey’s favorite credits include: Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (MadKap Productions), Skzsp & Tommy Gnosis/Yitzhak U/S in Hedwig & the Angry Inch (JK Entertainment), Marilyn Monroe in Happy Birthday, Jack! (HGBIC Productions), Everybody/Somebodies in Everybody (Missouri State University). When offstage, Hailey has worked with Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Wigs, Hair, and Makeup team on shows such as RSC’s Pericles, Much Ado About Nothing, and Brokeback Mountain. So many thanks to friends, family, and their partner, for always supporting them through the many Highs and Lows <3 haileypants.com