POP! – Meet the Cast

POP! BY Cianon jones Meet the cAST
Auburn \| ZHEN RAMMELSBURG Zhen E. Rammelsberg is a community member who has been actively involved in theater for years. Currently, Zhen E. is the Managing Director of Playtime Poppy Children's Theatre. Playtime Poppy has been bringing theatre to the Cedar Rapids area for 73 years. Zhen E. is a published playwright and has won playwriting festival awards for her work "Black Box: An Adoption Story Choreopoem". This will be Zhen E's second time being involved with the NPF. Last year she was Yan in the reading of The Words of Ants. Zhen E. thanks her supportive husband Robert for "going out on a limb for her" daily. She stops advocating for adoptee rights and hugging trees ONLY to hug her 4 kitties and son Jordan, DIL Skyler, and granddaughter Jasmine.
Go-Go \| ZOE HOFFENBERG* From a young age, Zoe adored all aspects of performance from playwriting to singing. This past year she graduated from Roosevelt High School in Seattle, Washington, where she performed as Matron Mama Morton in Chicago. Most recently she has played Maya in Myocardium; Graphite with Dreamwell Theatre and 1/2 Man 1/2 Woman in Side Show. In her first year at Iowa she is double majoring in English and creative writing and musical theatre. Zoe is deeply grateful for the unwavering support of her parents, and their tolerance of her incessant singing.
Treasure \| SAMANTHA BURDS* Samantha Burds is a sophomore English student, and this is her first production at the University of Iowa! She enjoys reading, writing, drawing, being outdoors, and pretending to be a tree theatre productions! Enjoy the show :)
Bind \| STEPHANIE DECKER* Stephanie Decker is a first-year student at the University of Iowa, double majoring in human physiology and theatre arts. This will be her second production her at the university, having been in Death Surrogates as Raymond earlier this semester. She would like to thank her family and friends for always supporting her. She hopes you enjoy the show!
Gift \| SOREN MARTIN
Gwo \| MAZZY SLEEP Mazzy Sleep is a young writer living in Iowa City. Her poetry and flash fiction have been published in Blackbird, The Margins (Asian American Writers' Workshop), The Minnesota Review, Rattle, Barren Magazine, Literary Review of Canada, Maudlin House, and elsewhere. Mazzy has a poem in two time capsules on the moon as part of the Lunar Codex project. You can read her work at mazzysleep.com.
Memory \| ELLA SIRNA* Ella Sirna is a second-year musical theatre major with a minor in music. She is so happy to be performing with such a vibrant group of people! You might recognize her from UI’s most recent musical; Side Show, Clare Barron’s Dance Nation last winter, or from an Iowa City improv show as a member of Janice. Or, you may have just seen her doing lip trills to herself while walking around the Ped Mall. Although she’s been literate from a young age, this is her first reading at the University of Iowa, so she hopes you enjoy it!
Roadkill Carcass \| SVEN BODE** Sven is an international grad student from Germany and only here for one year. Back home Sven is studying to become a teacher for secondary school with the subjects English, math, and drama. He is most thankful for his theater-friends back home that encouraged him to audition and are cheering him on from the other side of the pond. This is Sven's third production at the University of Iowa; he starred in (T-)RE(X)FORMATION and Day Fades Into Night Fades Into Day.
Mudda \| ALICIA PHILADELPHIA** Favorite credits include Katrine Stockmann in An Enemy of the People, Beatrice in Sigh No More, Elizabeth Lavenza in Frankenstein, Norma Valverde in Hands on a Hardbody, and Shrek in Shrek the Musical. Special thanks to her supportive and loving friends and family, as well as the entire cast and crew of this beautiful production.
Rain \| JASON VERNON*
Picidae Aves \| CARDEN GREEN
Owl \| ALEX SHIPMAN
Shroom #1 \| JULIE ENGLANDER Julie Englander is a graduate of the University of Iowa in speech and drama, and attended Boston University's acting program. She retired from a long-time career in public radio. She is now glad to be pursuing interests in acting and birdwatching.
Shroom #2 \| ERIN DETLEFSEN* Erin Detlefsen is a freshman studying English at the university. This is her first NPF and she is so excited to be partaking in this staged reading as Mushroom #2.
Shroom #3 \| HAYDON BAILEY
Forest Chorus/Stage Directions \| FRANCES DAPIER* Frances Dapier is a first-year studying theatre arts on the musical theatre track. She also has minors in both dance and music. She was recently in the spring musical, Side Show, and is so excited to be a part of her first New Play Festival! She hopes you enjoy the show!
Forest Chorus/Stage Directions \| LUCAS NELSON* Lucas Nelson is a sophomore English and creative writing and theatre major. He is thankful for both of his parents for supporting him!!

POP!
BY Cianon jones
Meet the cAST

Auburn | ZHEN RAMMELSBURG

Zhen E. Rammelsberg is a community member who has been actively involved in theater for years. Currently, Zhen E. is the Managing Director of Playtime Poppy Children's Theatre. Playtime Poppy has been bringing theatre to the Cedar Rapids area for 73 years. Zhen E. is a published playwright and has won playwriting festival awards for her work "Black Box: An Adoption Story Choreopoem". This will be Zhen E's second time being involved with the NPF. Last year she was Yan in the reading of The Words of Ants.

Zhen E. thanks her supportive husband Robert for "going out on a limb for her" daily. She stops advocating for adoptee rights and hugging trees ONLY to hug her 4 kitties and son Jordan, DIL Skyler, and granddaughter Jasmine.

Go-Go | ZOE HOFFENBERG*

From a young age, Zoe adored all aspects of performance from playwriting to singing. This past year she graduated from Roosevelt High School in Seattle, Washington, where she performed as Matron Mama Morton in Chicago. Most recently she has played Maya in Myocardium; Graphite with Dreamwell Theatre and 1/2 Man 1/2 Woman in Side Show. In her first year at Iowa she is double majoring in English and creative writing and musical theatre. Zoe is deeply grateful for the unwavering support of her parents, and their tolerance of her incessant singing.

Treasure | SAMANTHA BURDS*

Samantha Burds is a sophomore English student, and this is her first production at the University of Iowa! She enjoys reading, writing, drawing, being outdoors, and pretending to be a tree theatre productions! Enjoy the show :)

Bind | STEPHANIE DECKER*

Stephanie Decker is a first-year student at the University of Iowa, double majoring in human physiology and theatre arts. This will be her second production her at the university, having been in Death Surrogates as Raymond earlier this semester. She would like to thank her family and friends for always supporting her. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Gift | SOREN MARTIN

Gwo | MAZZY SLEEP

Mazzy Sleep is a young writer living in Iowa City. Her poetry and flash fiction have been published in Blackbird, The Margins (Asian American Writers' Workshop), The Minnesota Review, Rattle, Barren Magazine, Literary Review of Canada, Maudlin House, and elsewhere. Mazzy has a poem in two time capsules on the moon as part of the Lunar Codex project. You can read her work at mazzysleep.com.

Memory | ELLA SIRNA*

Ella Sirna is a second-year musical theatre major with a minor in music. She is so happy to be performing with such a vibrant group of people! You might recognize her from UI’s most recent musical; Side Show, Clare Barron’s Dance Nation last winter, or from an Iowa City improv show as a member of Janice. Or, you may have just seen her doing lip trills to herself while walking around the Ped Mall. Although she’s been literate from a young age, this is her first reading at the University of Iowa, so she hopes you enjoy it!

Roadkill Carcass | SVEN BODE**

Sven is an international grad student from Germany and only here for one year. Back home Sven is studying to become a teacher for secondary school with the subjects English, math, and drama. He is most thankful for his theater-friends back home that encouraged him to audition and are cheering him on from the other side of the pond. This is Sven's third production at the University of Iowa; he starred in (T-)RE(X)FORMATION and Day Fades Into Night Fades Into Day.

Mudda | ALICIA PHILADELPHIA**

Favorite credits include Katrine Stockmann in An Enemy of the People, Beatrice in Sigh No More, Elizabeth Lavenza in Frankenstein, Norma Valverde in Hands on a Hardbody, and Shrek in Shrek the Musical. Special thanks to her supportive and loving friends and family, as well as the entire cast and crew of this beautiful production.

Rain | JASON VERNON*

Picidae Aves | CARDEN GREEN

Owl | ALEX SHIPMAN

Shroom #1 | JULIE ENGLANDER

Julie Englander is a graduate of the University of Iowa in speech and drama, and attended Boston University's acting program. She retired from a long-time career in public radio. She is now glad to be pursuing interests in acting and birdwatching.

Shroom #2 | ERIN DETLEFSEN*

Erin Detlefsen is a freshman studying English at the university. This is her first NPF and she is so excited to be partaking in this staged reading as Mushroom #2.

Shroom #3 | HAYDON BAILEY

Forest Chorus/Stage Directions | FRANCES DAPIER*

Frances Dapier is a first-year studying theatre arts on the musical theatre track. She also has minors in both dance and music. She was recently in the spring musical, Side Show, and is so excited to be a part of her first New Play Festival! She hopes you enjoy the show!

Forest Chorus/Stage Directions | LUCAS NELSON*

Lucas Nelson is a sophomore English and creative writing and theatre major. He is thankful for both of his parents for supporting him!!

*Undergraduate student
**Graduate student
UI Theatre is dedicated to providing hands-on theatre experience for both undergraduate and graduate students.