Lighting Designer
Marly Wooster
Marly holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Lighting Design from Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre from Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. She has designed lighting for numerous productions across the Midwest, including those at prestigious venues such as the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and Miami University, where she also teaches various courses in the Theatre Department and College of Creative Arts.
Sound Designer
Patrick John Kiernan
Patrick is a sound designer, composer, performer, and researcher based in Cleveland, OH. He received a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Sound Design & Technology from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music. He has designed Off-Broadway and regionally in thirteen different states. Favorite credits include: Murder on the Orient Express (Great Lakes Theater); Let the Right One In (UC-CCM/Cincinnati Shakespeare) [US Premiere]; She Stoops to Conquer (The Actors Company Theater); and Something Rotten! (UC-CCM)
Dodo Bird/March Hare
Jovanni Candia
A little mad himself, Jovanni is excited to bring a slice of Wonderland to life with Merry Band Entertainment! The young actor studied at Harvard University, where he developed a strong foundation in live performance, dance, and improv. Jovanni found a love for immersive theater with escape rooms, and now performs for American Immersion Theater across the Cincinnati area. Whether on stage or on the screen, he strives to bring his characters to life—all while giving audiences an experience they'll never forget.
Duchess/Dormouse
Angela Moore
A local actress originally from Waynesville, Ohio. She has performed in various plays and musicals in theaters around the Dayton/Cincinnati area such as Lacomedia Dinner Theatre, Dayton Theatre Guild, Dayton Playhouse, and Kings Island. She has performed in show choirs and enjoys being in the immersive world currently working as a Murdery Mystery actress. In her free time, Angela is also part of a group called "The Traveling Swerk Sisters" who travel to different areas to teach dance fitness and promote body positivity and self-love. Angela adores her two cats, her husband, and her amazing family and friends. Angela looks forward to spreading her creativity and love of the arts in more projects around the community.
Alice
Julie Sonia Locker
A Cincinnati-based performing artist who has performed, directed, and/or written for Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Fringe, Pones, The Know Theatre, The Carnegie, Richmond Shakespeare Festival, Actor's Theatre of Columbus, and Wittenberg University. She is also an improviser and sketch comedian with ComedySportz, OTRimprov, and Alphas. As a multidisciplinary performer, Julie is passionate about breaking tradition to make live performance more enjoyable and accessible for wide audiences. She thus looks forward to continuing to work with Merry Band!
Mad Hatter
Andrew Hartman
In one of his first improv classes, his coach said "I want to see you be meaner. You're simply too damn nice." That's kinda been true his entire life, so he decided to run with it.
What else would you like to know? We can talk about his professional history as a corporate trainer, his director experience in productions for kids, his acting experience across all kinds of things (from Narnia to the Village of Willy Nilly)
OR We can say that Board Games are his favorite. He could grab a beer and game for an entire day! Cats bring him so much more joy than dogs.His wife is literally his favorite person. #nocompetition. The Labyrinth is still his favorite movie of all time. He always wants to feel like he’s just being a walking caricature of himself.
The Queen of Hearts
Anita Harrison
A character since conception" is what her father said and he was never wrong. Aside from being able to become a different person professionally, Anita also sings in several gospel groups throughout Cincinnati. She enjoys taking on creative ventures and believes her spirit animal is Betty White mixed with Viola Davis. A small business owner, a notary, an ordained minister, a Paint ‘n’ Sip host, a Murder Mystery actress and a devoted person to her family and friends, Anita continues to surprise herself everyday with the many talents she unleashes on the world.
Caterpillar/ Understudy for Dormouse, March Hare and Duchess
Kavin May
If Kaven had a dream job, it would be "crazy ol' witch in the forest". But if they had a second choice it would definitely be "bringing joy to others by being their authentic self".
Having worked in immersive theatre since 2013, Kaven has portrayed many characters. Their favorites were always the ones that made others smile! Often told they have "Golden Retriever Energy" Kaven's goal in life is to bring even a little bit of sunshine to all those they come across.
Cheshire Cat
Kelsey Long
A Cincinnati native, Kelsey is an avid lover of all movement forms. Kelsey took her movement practice to the skies in 2013 and has rarely touched the ground since. You can most often catch her on the lollipop or coaching others to take flight!
Cheshire Cat
Samantha Hancock
Samantha is a collaborative, multifaceted mover who excels in taking big ideas off the paper and bringing them to life in fun and whimsical ways. After spending 10 years on the competitive horseback riding track, life took an unexpected turn in 2011 that catapulted her straight into the air. Since then her life has been dedicated to exploring, performing, and coaching a variety of aerial and movement arts such as lyra, sling, pole, lollipop, and one-of-a-kind creations.
White Rabbit
Preston Bell Charles III
Native to the Cincinnati area, Preston has been writing and performing live since 2007, and recently was a performing member of the Illharmonic Hip Hop Orchestra (New York), and co-founder of the Cincinnati Hip Hop Orchestra. Performing as a solo artist he adds a twist to how the violin is played. Using fx pedals and a looper, he creates his own beats live and solos over top of them, switching between his originals and popular titles. Making the mood and setting the tone are his favorite things to do.
He teaches violin and has created two documentaries in the past 3 years, thanks to the power and support of Artswave!
He is also the resident musician for, TrueTheatre (a local story-telling show), and can be heard every 1st Tuesday of the month at Arnold’s Bar and Grill! This past year after performing for the Western and Southern tournament in Mason, Ohio, he was interviewed by WVXU for his performance and aforementioned documentaries.
As a father of 3 youngsters, he hopes his continued pursuit of happiness will add to their understanding and influence in our world!