Alice in Slasherland Program Guide

Creative Team Director

Anjela Vega Scenic Design Sarah Keilman

Costume Design Sonia Giansiracusa

Lighting Design François-Pierre Couture Properties Design Saul Diaz

Sound Design Nick Johnson

Hair & Makeup Design Ivan Hernandez Ella McDonald Projection Design Vanessa D. Fernandez

Combat Coordinator Colin Bressie

Intimacy Coordinator Mateo Limas Stage Management Josh van Veggel

Company Management Amanda Anderson Drew Olvey

Devil’s Song - original music by Matt Kollar Special Thanks to Thomas Kellogg

A Note from the Chair Welcome to CalRep and thank you for joining us for the final production of our Spring 2025 Season, Alice in Slasherland by Qui Nguyen.

Part horror movie send-up, part high school comingof-age story, and all heart, Alice in Slasherland dives headfirst into a world of demons, undead cheerleaders, and awkward teenage love. Beneath the thrills and gore, the play explores friendship, redemption, and what it means to face your fears, both supernatural and emotional.

We are thrilled to welcome director and CSULB Theatre Arts alum Anjela Vega. Anjela brings her sharp eye for blending dark humor with deep humanity, perfect for navigating the wild world of Qui Nguyen’s genre-bending script.

This season at CalRep, we’ve been celebrating the theme “laughing together,” exploring comedy in all its forms to connect us, challenge us, and open space for reflection. Alice in Slasherland brings this season to a thrilling close.

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

I hope you will join us for CalREP’s 2025-26 Season featuring reimagined classics that bring great stories to life in new and surprising ways. Join us this fall for Radio Plays Live, a double bill of classic noir radio plays performed live; Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea, an update of The Little Mermaid featuring a rain cloud; Carrie: The Musical, a Halloween treat not to be missed; and Stupid F##ing Bird, a wild and wacky take on Chekhov’s The Seagull.

Thank you for supporting live theatre and for being part of this vibrant community. We’re so glad you’re here.

Now, silence your phones, hold onto your seats, and enjoy the ride!

Warmly, Ezra LeBank Artistic Director Theatre Arts Department Chair For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

A Note from the Director Sacrifice in horror movies is basically the genre’s love language. It reminds us that even in the darkest moments, courage and selflessness can shine through. Someone's gotta stay behind and face the creepy demon, the haunted mirror, or the blood sucking love worm while yelling, “Go on without me!” (usually after tripping over nothing).

Whether it's the guy who decides to check the basement alone (RIP) or the friend who heroically throws themselves at the monster with a butter knife, sacrifice adds humanity to horror. It keeps the story moving—giving the rest of the cast time to scream and run. Let’s be real: if no one’s sacrificing themselves, are we even watching a real horror movie or just a group therapy session with ghosts?

Anjela Vega, Director Alice in Slasherland CalRep

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Cast Matthew Hill Matthew Hill is a 3rd-year Theater Major and is very excited to be a part of Alice in Slasherland. His past credits include Buzz (Love, Valour, and Compassion) and Cassandra (Uncle Vanya). Thank you to the cast, crew, and amazing team!

Matthew Hill as “Edgar”

Gray Nathan as “Tina Carpenter”

Gray Nathan Gray Nathan is a first year Theatre Major, excited to perform in her first Mainstage production. This is her second time playing a demonic role at CSULB, the first being Samyaza in Threshold's production of Up/Downstairs. Many thanks to the cast, crew, and artistic team.

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Cast

Hayden Radonsky as “Matilda”

Hayden Radonsky Hayden Radonsky is a 1st year Theatre Arts Performance Major is thrilled to be performing in her first Cal Rep Production. Her past credits include Tilly Evans (She Kills Monsters), Hermia (A Midsummer Night's Dream) and Mabel (The Pirates of Penzance). A million thank you's to the cast and crew!

Devin Addiego Devin Addiego is a 3rd-year Cinematic Arts Major and is thrilled to perform in his second show with CalRep. Their favorite credits include Officer Barrel (Urinetown) and Yvan in Theatre Threshold's The Painting. He's beyond grateful for each and every member of the Slasherland team!

Devin Addiego as “Burnout/Sheriff Dunwoody”

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Cast

Janna Lambert as “Margaret”

Janna Lambert Janna is so excited to make her CalRep debut portraying Margaret in Alice in Slasherland and feels so lucky to share the stage with such an incredible cast. She is overwhelmingly grateful for this opportunity and to the entire team that put this show together.

Vannessa Leal Vannessa is a 3rd year Theater performance major who is so excited and grateful to be a part of this production. Her past credits include Urinetown and A Night of Student Work.

Vannessa wants everyone to enjoy what the cast and crew have worked so hard to accomplish.

Vannessa Leal as “Hurt”

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Cast

Aidan McGuiness as “Lewis”

Aidan McGuiness This is Aidan’s 8th production with CalRep. Past credits include Bobby Strong in Urinetown, Brad Majors in The Rocky Horror Show, and Noel Gruber in Ride the Cyclone. He is very grateful for the opportunity to continue creating meaningful artwork and he hopes you enjoy the show. instagram: @aidan.mcguiness

Lucca Carr-Veramo Lucca is a fourth-year Theater Arts major. He hopes you are ready for a magical experience and thanks you for joining him on this journey to the nether and back. He wants to thank his folks from school, home, Brasa, TKE, and everything in between.

Love you, Mom!

Lucca Carr-Veramo as “Gareth/Duncan”

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Cast

Devin Stone as “Jacob/T-Bone/Tommy”

Devin Stone Devin is a 4th year Theatre Major at CSULB. He is super glad to be back in another CalRep production. He most recently played Rodney in CalRep's production of Small Mouth Sounds. He would like to thank the entire cast and crew for their dedication and play.

Dana Sandoval Dana Sandoval is a 4th year Theatre Performance Major and is so excited to be back for her second mainstage at CSULB. Her past credits include Small Mouth Sounds (Alicia) and The Fledgling (Jay). She would like to thank her family and is very grateful to the cast, crew, and artistic team!

Dana Sandoval as “Alice”

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Crew Assistant Directors Susan Gasparyan Drew Olvey Assistant Scenic Design Saul Diaz

Assistant Costume Design Isaac Gonzalez Lily Than

Associate Lighting Design Apollo Artry

Hair and Makeup Coordinator Samuel Moran

Assistant Properties Design Ellie Montenegro

Assistant Sound Design Tori Morones

Programmer Angelica Mondragon

Assistant Stage Management Jessica Burwell April Galima

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Crew (cont.)

Production Assistant Meg Barron Scenic Crew Jasmine Castaneda David Gleichenhaus Yulissa Jaime Evan Oukrop Amelia Priestley Matthew Quady James Santiago Lighting Crew Deshawn Mims Justin Servio Lightboard Operators Raymond Holtzclaw Zoey Martin Sound Crew Cole Dahlia Prekoski Richard Khau Branden Zepeda Video Crew Eliza Fletcher Emma Shults

Makeup Crew Cassandra Alaya Felicity Harris Emma Howard Nya Jackson Annelise Licata Jade Lopez Angel Robbson Lee Rodriquez Jane Uren Kailee Young Costume Crew Dean Castro Jeremy Fauni Leslie Garita Di Herrera Himika Kaku Nicholas Mayer Ellie Montenegro Trina Ranabhat Ali Ryan Cate Slavin Lacey Stallard

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Study Guide

"Nguyen's gleefully silly Alice in Slasherland...continues Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company's exploration of pop culture genres in this sly, self-referential comedy."

Jason Zinoman, The New York Times

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

ALICE IN SLASHERLAND When young Lewis Diaz accidentally resurrects the soul of a brutally slain girl named Alice, he unwittingly unleashes a literal hell on Earth.

Now, with every imaginable kind of demon, monster, and killer ravaging his small town, it's up to Lewis and his newly undead companion to protect his classmates -- including longtime crush Margaret -- from becoming freshly slaughtered carcasses. With the help of Alice's trash-talking demonic teddy bear, Lewis races to find a way to close the rift before the devil himself shows up and totally ruins their senior year.

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Meet the Director: Anjela Vega Anjela Vega received her Masters in Directing at UCLA where she studied immersive and site-specific theatre which helped her create her own style of storytelling.

She then went on to work as Francis Ford Coppola's Movement Coordinator on his experimental film called Distant Vision. She was trained in dance and movement with companies such as Pilobolus and Push Physical Theatre and studied acting with top performers and artists from around the world. She won a full scholarship to study Shakespeare in Oxford with John Barton while generating and creating work with her companies: Post Mortem Grotesque Burlesques and Post Mortem Movement Theatre.

She has done a lot of music video work with WONK Inc, started by Kyle Newacheck (the co-creator of Workaholics and director of Murder Mystery). She currently directs music videos and VoiceOver for Netflix, Amazon and Disney.

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Meet the Playwright: Qui Nguyen Qui Nguyen is an award-winning playwright, TV writer, and screenwriter. For TV, he's written for Netflix's The Society (2019), AMC's Dispatches from Elsewhere (2020), SYFY's Incorporated (2016) and PBS's Peg+Cat (2013) where he won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Preschool Animated Program.

For the screen, he co-wrote Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) and wrote and co-directed Disney's Strange World (2022).

Additionally, he was a member of the Marvel Studios Writers Program.

As a playwright, he's the Co-Founder of the OBIE Awardwinning Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company of NYC, who are often credited as the pioneers of "geek theatre."

His most popular plays include She Kills Monsters, Poor Yella Rednecks, and Vietgone [which was the subject of his documentary film, The Family Vietgone (2024), which he directed.]

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Vampire Cowboys Qui Nguyen is the Co-Artistic Director of the OBIE Award winning “geek theater” company: Vampire Cowboys. It creates and produces new works of theatre based in action/adventure and dark comedy with a comic book aesthetic. The company actively pursues the mating of different genres with varied theatrical styles to create an eclectic structure to tell its stories. The company aims to bridge the gap between mass media entertainment and the performing arts, exposing the community to challenging, thought-provoking live entertainment rooted in today’s pop-culture vernacular.

They have a variety of programming from fullystaged theatrical shows to special events and short series. They believe in fully supporting their shows that works of art aren’t solitary events and should be allowed to run for their life span (whatever that may be). They will support the production for however long feels productive.

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT

Click here to view the full Interview

AND OUR DIRECTOR

Click here to view the full Interview For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

The Slasher Arc A "slasher film" is a type of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a knife or axe.

These are the main three points that make it a “slasher film”: 1) An effective killer 2) A high kill count 3) Non-firearm weapons Other typical characteristics of the genre: 1) A “final girl” 2) Gory kill scenes 3) Teenage victims 4) Small-town or isolated setting 5) Revenge-driven backstory for the killer 6) Killer is masked, disfigured, or deformed 7) The “virginal” character dies last

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Slasher Films: An Origin Story Prototypic slasher films arrived in the 1960s, with Hitchcock’s Psycho and Powell’s Sleeping Tom. They included some characteristics of what would be known as the “slasher genre.”

The first “true” slasher film was released in 1974: Black Christmas. It had all the hallmarks of a slasher: a mysterious killer, teen victims, and graphic violence.

Slasher films started oversaturating the market because they were so easy to make. The use of violence and minimalist setting meant the scares could be cheap (and low-budget).

So people grew tired of them.

Enter John Carpenter and his film Halloween (1978), which revitalized the genre. He was strategic in his scares and cinematography, and also re-interpreted some of the more clichéd aspects of the genre: such as having the “final girl” survive because she has the most in common with the killer.

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Slasher Films: The Sequel Friday the 13th soon followed in 1980, which tweaked the slasher formula to make the identity of the killer a surprise. It was a huge box office success!

In 1984, A Nightmare on Elm Street injected the supernatural into the slasher cycle with Freddy Krueger, the ghost of an immolated child-killer who murders children in their dreams.

This was also one of the first slasher films that featured a killer who makes witty comebacks.

After that, the genre started to dwindle with a lot of sequels, crossovers, and remakes. It continues to be in that phase today.

Learn More

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

So you know scary movies...

References in “Alice in Slasherland”

Jason Voorhees The antagonist in Alice in Slasherland and the Friday the 13th film series. Known for carrying around his trusty machete which he has used to kill over 200 people in the franchise. His original motivation was revenge for his mother’s death.

Samara In The Ring, Samara is introduced by coming through a staticky television because the protagonists play a possessed video tape. A character in this play is introduced in a similar way.

The Exorcist This movie follows the demonic possession of a young girl and the subsequent attempt at rescue through exorcism by two young priests. The main antagonistic presence in Alice in Slasherland follows this concept.

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

So you know scary movies...

References in “Alice in Slasherland”

Scream Alice in Slasherland uses the irreverent and meta humor style of slasher movies made popular by Scream. This series revived the horror genre in the 1990s and made the careers of most of the cast.

Urban Legend

The song “Total Eclipse of the Heart” made its slasher film debut in Urban Legend: used as a backing track for the opening scene’s car murder. The song has also been used recently in The Strangers: Prey by Night and our production!

Alice in Wonderland While Alice in Wonderland isn’t technically a horror, Qui’s play draws on Alice in Wonderland’s structure and characters. Our Alice also gets dropped into an unknown world with an unruly cast of characters.

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Comic or Camp?

While a lot of slasher films take place at summer camp, that’s not quite what we mean.

The style of camp, as defined by Susan Sontag in her 1964 essay “Notes on Camp,” is an aesthetic sensibility that appreciates something for its “heightened level of artifice, affectation, and exaggeration,” often with a playful or ironic element. It’s about celebrating style over substance, and embracing the “unnatural” and “beautiful” over realism.

The camp sensibility in slasher films can be seen as a way for filmmakers to subvert genre expectations and offer a sense of self-awareness, acknowledging the often-absurd nature of the slasher genre.

Slasher films, especially those from the slasher film “Golden Age” (roughly 1978-1984), use camp elements, such as over-the-top violence, exaggerated characters, and situations that are intentionally absurd or melodramatic.

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

But Also Comic...

Our production utilizes projection in a comic-book animation style, created by our projection designer: Vanessa Fernandez.

But why did we imagine comic-style animation going well in a slasher/horror play?

The Golden Age of Horror Films in the 1930s inspired superhero comic artists to add horror elements. It exploded into popularity in the 1950s as a way for people to grapple with the horrors of World War II (and as an escape). Horror comics then experienced repression in the 1950s with the Comics Code due to a book that claimed horror, romance, and other comic genres led to delinquency.

They made a comeback in the 1960s with the resurgence of counterculture movements. A new wave of horror movies coming out also helped bolster the comic genre (like Psycho - a proto-slasher film). The introduction of Japanese comics and adult themes to comics has inspired new approaches to horror storytelling to this day.

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Student Discussion Questions

Prologue 1) How do you think a slasher play will utilize humor?

Do you think it will be effective or will it undercut the scares?

2) As you know, our production will utilize comic book animations. What other genre-bending stylizations do you imagine it might utilize?

3) Knowing what you know about slasher tropes and the references in the show, how do you think it will end?

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Student Discussion Questions

Fade to Black 1) How does Alice in Slasherland utilize the characteristics of a slasher film? In what ways does it subvert the genre to surprise the audience?

2) What other literature and pop culture references did you notice in our production?

3) Would you consider our production of Alice in Slasherland “camp”? Why or why not?

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Deeper Discussion Questions Created by our partners at the Interfaith Center

The Epilogue 1) How does the play’s depiction of Alice as a resurrected spirit with violent justice powers mirror the onryō figure or other East Asian ghost archetypes? Is she a symbol of karmic balance or pure chaos? (See more about the onryō here.)

2) In Alice in Slasherland, major religious concepts— like Hell, demons, resurrection, and spiritual warfare— are depicted with campy humor, exaggerated violence, and genre clichés. How does the play use comedy to question the morality of divine or demonic power structures? Is the idea of “Hell” still terrifying when it's populated by buffoons and treated like a video game?

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Parking Information Parking for the Studio Theater is available adjacent to the Theater Arts building in lot E8.

E8 parking is available Mon-Fri after 5:30pm, on weekends parking is available all day.

To park at E8, one must have a CSULB Parking pass, purchase timed parking, or purchase a daily pass for $15 from the kiosk.

Studio Theater

E8 Lot

More Parking Information

CSULB Campus Map

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Theater Etiquette Reminders WE DO NOT OPERATE LIKE A MOVIE THEATER. YOU ARE A PART OF THE SHOW. YOUR THEATER ETIQUETTE IS A PART OF THE SHOW, EVERYONE IS ABLE TO SEE EVERYONE. LATE SEATING IS NOT PERMITTED: Patrons are not guaranteed seats unless they are on time and have a purchased ticket in hand. The show will start without you, no matter the reason you are late! As house managers we are trained to operate as a professional theater, and professional theaters do not allow late seating.

Walk-up Tickets and Waitlists: Any remaining tickets will be sold at the production's box office, which opens one hour before curtain. Sold-out performances begin waitlists one hour before curtain. You must arrive in person to put your name on a waitlist.

Food & Drink are not allowed in the theater: Patrons will be asked to finish their consumables before entering the theater.

Skateboards & Scooters are not allowed in the theater.

House Managers can direct you to a place for you us to hold your items during the show.

Content Advisory

This show is recommended for Ages 13+ It utilizes theatrical haze and strobe.

This production is in the horror genre. It contains visible fake blood, violence, murder, prop weapons, sexual content, and profanity.

For any questions about our Program Guide info please email: cota-calrep@csulb.edu.

Land Acknowledgement CSULB is located on the sacred site of Puvungna. We acknowledge that we are on the land of the Tongva/Gabrieleño and the Acjachemen/Juaneño Nations who have lived and continue to live here.

We recognize the Tongva and Acjachemen Nations and their spiritual connection as the first stewards and the traditional caretakers of this land.

We thank them for their strength, perserverance, and resistance. We pay our respects to the Ancestors, Elders, and our relatives, past, present, and emerging.

To learn how you can help, please visit: www.csulb.edu/puvungna

About CALREP CALREP is the producing arm of the Theatre Arts Department at CSULB. Over the past three decades, CALREP has a history of creating new work, devised theatre and adaptations of classics.

Meet the CalRep Team

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CALREP TEAM Department Chair Ezra LeBank MFA Theatre Management Faculty Jeff Janisheski Megan Wanlass Managing Director Meg Imamoto Production Manager Ashley Boehne Ehlers Technical Director Robert Waltz Master Carpenter Mitchell Domingo Scenic Student Assistants Saul Diaz Bledar Gashi Ellie Montenegro Tori Morones Arianna Echavarria Jesse Robles Costume Shop Manager Lalena Hutton Costume Shop Cutter/Draper Denise Barry Costume Shop Stitchers Vivian Mullvihill Saba Nabaeighahroudi Kelsi Haverkroft Toia Taylor Abigail Alva Mikayla McCulley Wardrobe Supervisor Maricela Cedillo Wardrobe Assistant Kyle Matsuda Master Electrician Jasmine Flores Lighting Student Assistants/Hang & Focus Crew Apollo Artry Mya Baldwin Saul Diaz Kaison Edwards Sonia Giansiracusa

Lighting Student Assistants (cont.)

Julia Juarez Kaitlyn Madrid Melissa Mejia-Rodriguez Deshawn Mims Quinn O'Kelly Sean Ryder Elizabeth Sanchez Noah Stein Aiden Vice Austin Willis-Roberts Mike Zavala Media & Sound Engineer David Goyette Box Office Manager Randall Belyea Box Office Student Assistants Ashley Holguin Vincent Monastrial William Runnels Charli Southall Katie Tran Fiscal and Personnel Analyst Katie Speer Safety Technical Supervisor Tony Martinez Theatre Arts Graduate Advisor Josh Nathan Theatre Arts Academic Advisor Adriane Howze Videographer Nick Neira Production Photographer Cynthia Price Graduate General Manager Claire Pearson Management Graduate Students Amanda Anderson Perla Barajas Paula Eagleman Drew Kelly Chaunsa Oyos Claire Pearson Bob Williamson

Faculty Gayle Baizer Chris Bange Jody Berger Trevor Biship-Gillespie Ashley Boehne Ehlers Josh Breeding Collin Bressie Erin Caron Andrea Caban Martha Carter Adrian Centeno Bonnie Dolan Alana Dietze Ramy Electreby Sharna Fabiano Michelle Gibbs Rebecca Guzzi Rich Hutchman Jeff Janisheski Nipper Knapp Ezra LeBank Bradley Lock Patricia Loughrey Emily MacDonald Josh Nathan Hugh O'Gorman Robert Prior Jen Richardson Tyler Seiple Medina Senghore Anna Steers Tom Trudgeon Sarah Underwood Megan Wanlass David Ward Jessica Woollen

Alice in Slasherland BY Qui Nguyen

Produced by special arrangement with Playscripts , Inc (www.playscripts.com)

Any video and/or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.