Cast
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Chase Woolner
Captain Memo / Info Guy
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Alexander Griffin
Ollie the Otter
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Christopher Hampton
Joseph the Astronaut
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Sharon Wang
Option the Computer
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Leila Ghaznavi
Gloria the Gorilla
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Zachariah Tolchinsky
Burbank the Polar Bear
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Spencer Ockwell
Heinrich Lambo / Bogo the Trash Bot
Chase Woolner
Chase Woolner was born with a sock puppet on his hand and probably has one on his hand right now. He has been puppeteering since the age of five when he started performing with Red Moon Puppet Theater in Chicago. Chase soon after, joined the San Francisco Bay Area Puppet Guild, becoming its youngest member. In high school he founded one of the nations few high school puppetry clubs, which is still going strong today with 137 alumni. Chase is a member of the Puppeteers of America, UNIMA-USA and has been a participant at several of the Eugene ONeill National Puppetry Conferences. Chase is currently pursuing his degree in puppetry at California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts).
Alexander Griffin
Alex first discovered a passion for puppetry in high school, creating an educational video for his Fairfield, Iowa community. Since then, he’s served as head puppeteer in the Iowa based group Le Mutts™, and received his BA in Cinema and English (creative writing) from the University of Iowa.
For the past three years, he’s participated in the Eugene O’Neill National Puppetry Conference, where he will serve as a resident puppeteer this year. Alex is currently living in southern California, working towards an MFA in Film Production from Chapman University and actively puppeteering in projects ranging from educational programs to music videos.
Christopher Hampton
Christopher Hampton is a working artist in Los Angelese, since graduating with a B.F.A. in acting from the California Institute of the Arts in May of 2010 he has performed on many stages including, the Matrix Theater, The Company of Angels, Mission: Control, The Redcat. He has toured L.A. elementry schools with the Theater of Will, and toured to colleges around the country with the Will and Co. In his home town of Atlanta Chris has performed on such renowned stages as the Alliance Theater, and the 14th street Playhouse. He is represented by Precision Management and the Talentworks Agency.
Sharon Wang
Sharon Wang was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She pursued an undergraduate degree in Philosophy at the University of California Los Angeles, but found herself under the auspices of a Professor in Acting who added Sharon into all of her classes, even as a non-major. After UCLA, she’s had incredible opportunities to travel; she’s spent a summer studying Shakespeare at Oxford, and the following summer, studying Stanislavski at Harvard. With the help of this UCLA Professor, Sharon auditioned and earned acceptance into the California Institute of the Arts, where she graduated in 2010 with her MFA in Theater Acting.
Leila Ghaznavi
Leila Ghaznavi is a Fringe First nominated playwright. Her work has been seen both domestically and abroad in such places as Kristiansand, Norway, Bali, Indonesia, Edinburgh, Scotland, New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. Ms. Ghaznavi has a life long passion for story telling that has led her through many fields. She holds a B.A. in music composition from Bryn Mawr College and a Masters in Acting from CalArts. She is currently working on a commission for a feature film on the life of Cyrus the Great, creator of the first Persian empire. Ms. Ghaznavi is delighted to lend her writing talents to the Imaginus Zoo project, believing that learning through dynamic story telling is more effective than academic lecture.
Zachariah Tolchinsky
Zachariah Tolchinsky is a recent graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of music and Drama. His credits include; Crime and Punishment (Vgik International theatre festival) And Richard III (Essen, Germany). As a Puppeteer, He has worked commercially in Scotland and in the United States. Credits include; Cut the Strings (Barclays Bank), and The Last rights of Baron Von Zirner (Princeton University) Zach is originally from Phoenix, Arizona.
Spencer Ockwell
Spencer Ockwell is a creative Earthling, who hopes to visit outer space in the near future. He has embarked on a mission to tell stories with unique characters in stylized worlds. The young adventurer studied animation, filmmaking and space travel at the California Institute of the Arts. While in school, Spencer created two short films which went on to play festivals worldwide, win awards and land distribution. He graduated from Cal Arts in 2009, then ventured into the great unknown to pursue his creative quest. Spencer signed with The Masses production company as a Director for music videos and commercials in 2010. He recently directed a music video for popular band Fitz & The Tantrums. Spencer continues to create whimsical videos, while developing ideas for features, television and new media. Spencer loves to explore the depths of his imagination, experiment with technology, and talk in silly voices. He usually refrains from speaking in the third person.
