NewFest 2025: Rod Parker Playwriting Fellowship Production
RED WOLF
By Madison Mondeaux ’26
Directed by Joe Antoun
When Kristen ran away from home, she planned to drive and just keep driving, but freezing rain has forced her off the road and into The Evergreen. The cozy inn is tucked deep in the forest beneath the shadow of a mountain, and completely empty aside from Kristen and the secretive family that owns it. Chased from her room into the lobby by insomnia and an eerie scratching noise at her window, Kristen befriends Jamie, the owners’ morose teenage daughter, and it isn’t long before the two are exchanging ghost stories by the fire. Jamie tells Kristen about the Red Wolf, a local legend that might be more than a legend after all. Nobody knows what the Red Wolf is, exactly–a ghost, a monster, a thing for which there is no name–but they know it eats kids left alone in the forest at night. They know it steals their voices. They know that if it comes in the shape of its prey, crying at the grieving family’s door, those who let it in are never seen again. Jamie tells Kristen all this, and then tells her the worst of it: the Red Wolf is real. It’s stalked Jamie’s family for months now. And tonight may be the night Jamie finally lets it in.
March 26-29, 2025
Greene Theater
All performances open to the public
Ages: 8+
Run Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Sensory Advisory: This play includes flashing lights and loud sound effects.
Content Advisory: This play includes strong language, violence, blood, murder, and death of a child.
RED WOLF
Creative Team
Scenic Design
Anton Santiago
Costume Design
Sophie O’Quest
Lighting Design
Chiron Speidel
Sound Design
Aubrey Dube
Props Lead
Ryan Bates
STAGE MANAGER
Elizabeth Tippens
PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR
Ethan West
Dramaturg
Bee LaClair
A note from the
Director, Joe Antoun
Welcome to NewFest 2025, Emerson Stage’s annual celebration of new works. It is an honor to present to you the Rod Parker award winning play Red Wolf, Maddie Mondeaux’s brilliantly crafted and thrilling foray into a family’s dramatic horror. A family and their secrets are at the heart of Red Wolf. A seemingly small childhood dare triggers a series of events which haunts a family and leaves them in need of a hero. In an effort to protect their daughter and move on from a family tragedy, Evelyn and Bill pretend nothing is different. They pretend the danger is not still lurking in their life. Meanwhile, their oldest daughter Jamie not only acknowledges the fear but attempts to do something about it. She exclaims “Look what happens when you don’t talk about the things that scare you. They come back and fucking eat you.” Red Wolf is not only about horror, it is about family, facing fears, sacrifice and protecting those you love at all costs. Red Wolf is a plot driven play in a genre we don’t see very often on stage. Maddie Mondeaux has skillfully pieced together this exciting and complex story which layers fright with warmth, love and challenges to the human spirit when it seems like there is no such thing as a hero. I am excited and thrilled for our community to experience this unique work.
A note from the
Dramaturg, Bee LaClair
DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS?
Whether your ghosts are fact or fiction, Red Wolf explores the boundary between living and dead, life and legacy. Is it possible for your soul to outlive you? What happens if it does?
On November 7, 2024, I met with playwright Madison Mondeaux, a class of ‘26 grad student pursuing a MFA Creative Writing, at the corner of Boylston and Tremont. Squeezed into a loud, crowded Tatte, we quickly got to know each other and dove into Maddie’s work. She was incredibly gracious and answered all of my first-time-dramaturg questions, including but not limited to: what does it all mean?
Maddie described to me the town she group up in: Lake Oswego, Oregon. She told me about how she “grew up surrounded by the deciduous forest…driving through the mountains and going to the coast” — despite it being the opposite coast, this spoke directly to my New Hampshire heart. Red Wolf takes place in Mt. Hood National Forest, Oregon in 1992. Mt. Hood was established 100 years earlier in 1892 and spans over 1,000,000 acres of forest, including the ancestral lands of the Cascade Chinook, Clackamas Chinook, Molalla, Warm Springs, and Wasco people. It is divided into four districts and eight wilderness areas with Mt. Hood standing proud at 11,249 feet directly in the center.
Maddie, a self-described “nervous child,” recalls driving through Mt. Hood after spending the day at her grandmother’s house. The tall trees, the darkness, and the state between sleep and wakefulness were together the perfect breeding ground for ghosts, monsters, and more. We talked about Maddie’s inspiration for the play, and three major factors became clear: the setting of her childhood, a penchant for the spooky and macabre, and a song titled “Red Wolf” by Thad Kopec. Kopec turns the classic Little Red Riding Hood fairytale into a folksy ballad, and Maddie reimagined that into the play before us today: an entirely new story.
How “new,” though, can a ghost story be? Ghosts have existed across cultures as far back as history can trace. In the 2023 Salem Press Encyclopedia, Cait Caffrey tells us that “a ghost is usually considered to be the soul of a dead person that inhabits a different world or dimension than that of the living.” Caffrey explains that historians believe the white, translucent idea of ghosts stems from the white, translucent appearance of one’s breath in the cold, implying that your ghost, or soul, is already within you. In ghost story tradition, ghosts remain on the earth to seek some kind of revenge, reparation, or closure — commonly referred to as “unfinished business.” The ghost must be appeased or otherwise banished before it will let the living be. What business, then, has our ghost left unfinished? What kind of ghost might you leave behind?
Meet the
Cast
Evelyn — ELEANOR WINROW
Bill — ANTHONY SPIDELL
Red Wolf — LOUIS CORRERO
Jamie — CARINA HIGGINS
Kristen — ANGELA KEON
Miranda — ROWEN GORING
Understudies
Bill/Red Wolf — OSCAR SCHUMAN
Evelyn/Kristen — CLEMENTINE VONNEGUT
Jamie/Miranda — EMMY BENDER
Meet the
Artistic and Production Staff
Assistant Director — GABRIELLA DAVID
Observing Director –– MADDIE WRIGHT
Observing Director –– NICOLE VOTA
Assistant Scenic Designer — OSCAR MCQUILKIN
Scenic Crew –– SAMUEL MARTIN GREENSTEIN
Scenic Crew –– ERNEST SHAO
Assistant Costume Designer — SIDRA SUNBERG
Wardrobe Supervisor — EVELYN WALYUS
Wardrobe Crew/HMU –– MIA LYNNE LANGBERT
Assistant Lighting Designer — EMMA KLICK
Production Electrician — GRACE ELPHINSTONE
Lead Electrician — ARI FLAHERTY
Lighting Crew — VEN SATTERTHWAITE
Lighting Crew –– SKY BACH
Assistant Sound Designer — CATALINA MAYORAL
Production Sound Engineer — MATT DANDINO
Sound Crew –– HENRY HOUGHTON
Sound Crew –– ATALANTA CARRIG-BRAUN
Props Crew –– KRISTEN LEE
Props Crew –– KIANA MCCULLY
Assistant Stage Manager — ALYSSA SCHLAIFER
2nd Assistant Stage Manager — BROOKLYN WILLIAMS
Production Assistant — STYX HATCH
Assistant Production Supervisor — MADDIE WRIGHT
Assistant Production Supervisor — VICTORIA ROMANO
Company Manager — OLIVER WORNER
Assistant Company Manager — RYAN TSE
Run Crew
HUGH BURROUGHS, AVA ECHTERNACHT, EMMA GIBSON, JACKIE GOSSETT, CHLOE HERNANDEZ, BEE JACKSON, SHELBY LEWIS, JIMMY NGUYEN, EVA PARHAMI, LUCILLE SCHMITT, KAYA STANLEY, GARY VALDIVIESO, NIKO WAHL, ZOE WEILL
Cast Bios
EMMY BENDER (she/her) — U/S Jamie, Miranda
BFA ‘27 Theatre & Performance. Emerson Stage debut! Emerson College credits: Directors Fest, Asteroid Belt (Carly); Girlie Project Member, NBS, Hansel and Gretel (Gretel). Other credits: Boeing Boeing (Gloria), Into The Woods (Stepmother, Jack’s Mom), Little Shop of Horrors (Chiffon), Mother Courage (Yvette) at Oakwood School. Forever thankful to my friends, family, and amazing teachers for everything they do <3. Insta: @Emmybenderr
LOUIS CORRERO (he/him) — Red Wolf
BFA ’27 Acting. Emerson Stage credits: Imogen Says Nothing (u/s John Heminges/Leonato/Ned Whiting) and NewFest Short Works “Roadmap” (H). Emerson College credits: RareWorks Theatre Company’s Five Times In One Night (Tim) and Cast Thy Bread (Joshua); emShakes Theatre Company’s The Big Meal (Man #3); BlueJay Theater Collective’s Dog Sees God (Van). Other credits: Prep Dramatics’ Macbeth (Macbeth) and Puffs (Ernie Mac/Others). Louis would like to thank everyone involved in getting this production onstage! @louiscorrero
ROWEN GORING (she/they) — Miranda
BFA ’26 Theatre & Performance. Emerson Stage debut! Emerson College credits: MTS’ Bare: A Pop Opera (Diane), MTAG’s Fun Home (Small Alison), and EmShakes’ Lord of the Flies (Eric). She wants to thank her wonderful friends and family and her future best friend, Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Super excited and grateful for this amazing cast and crew, endless thank yous to all of them!
CARINA HIGGINS (she/her) — Jamie
BFA ’25 Theatre & Performance. Emerson Stage credits: NewFest Short Works’ The Hotel Visitants (Stepsister). Emerson College credits: emShakes Theatre Company’s The Big Meal (Woman #3) and Jake Tolentino’s BFA Thesis Production of Antony and Cleopatra (Octavius/Thidias). Thank you to the Red Wolf cast and production team for all the laughs and love! Y’all ROCK! And thank you to my family, my friends, and professors for all their support! @carinah619
ANGELA KEON (she/her) — Kristen
BFA ‘25 Theatre & Performance and BS Marketing Communications. Emerson Stage credits: Second Star to the Right (Crystal). Regional credits: Gulfshore Playhouse’s The Addams Family (Wednesday Addams), Little Women (Amy March), and Into the Woods (Little Red). Other credits: The Naples Players’ Frozen (Princess Anna) and Bye Bye Birdie (Suzie). Thanks mom & dad! @angela.olivia
OSCAR SCHUMAN (he/him) — U/S Bill, Red Wolf
BFA ’27 Theatre & Performance. Emerson Stage debut!
ANTHONY SPIDELL (he/him) — Bill
BFA ‘26 Acting, Dance Minor. Emerson Stage credits: I Love XXX (Ensemble Cast), Imogen Says Nothing (Richard Burbage), 16 Winters (U/S Pol + Bear). Emerson College credits: Pass Over (Director), Jelly’s Last Jam (Buddy Bolden, Dance Captain), MTAG’s Wild Party (Mr. Black + Eddie U/S). Emerson Urban Dance Theatre: Sincerely, EUDT (Dancer), PANIC (Dancer), and FAME (Dancer). Thanks to my family and close friends for all of their constant support! Instagram: @anthony.spidell @flow7.studios
CLEMENTINE VONNEGUT (she/her) — U/S Evelyn, Kristen
BFA ‘26 Theatre & Performance. Emerson Stage debut! Emerson College credits: Kidding Around’s Honk! (Maureen/ Queenie/ Others), June July August (Dee/ Mrs. Radley) and Snow Angel (Swing). Musical Theatre Society’s The Secret Garden (Ensemble) and EFA Golden Age Cabaret (Soloist). Thank you to my endlessly supportive family and all the wonderful cast and crew that worked so hard on this show!
ELEANOR WINROW (she/her) — Evelyn
BFA ’25 Acting. Emerson Stage credits: NewFest ShortWorks Approaching September 1 (Tess) and Chekhov’s Gun (Jack). Emerson College credits: Kidding Around’s June July August (June); emShakes Theatre Company’s Death of a Salesman (Linda, Biff, Happy); RareWorks Theatre Company’s To the End of the World (Female U/S); and Full Fathom Productions’ Bethel Park Falls (Hazel). Thank you to my family and friends for the unwavering support and love! @elwinrow
Creative Team Bios
JOE ANTOUN (he/him) — Director
Joe Antoun (Director) is the founding Artistic Director of Centastage where he has developed, directed or produced over 70 new plays including six Boston Women On Top Festivals of new plays by women and four Boston Sings Boston cabarets of new songs. Mr. Antoun is on the directing and acting faculty at Emerson College where he serves as the Artistic Director of Newfest. This is his 24th Newfest show. He is a recipient of the Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Kenneth A. McDonald Award for Theater Excellence and was the first recipient of the Rod Parker Playwriting award. He is a proud member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) and a board member of the Theatre Community Benevolent Fund (TCBF).
MADISON MONDEAUX –– Playwright
MFA Fiction, Emerson College ’26. BA Creative Writing, Knox College ’15. Emerson Stage credits: Eternity 5 (Playwright). Other credits include: NSAA’s The Search for Izzy Cartwright, or, Escape from the Forest of Mind-Control Slime! (Playwright); The Pulp Stage’s On Mary’s Doorstep (Playwright) and Rise of the Zoomabomber! (Playwright); Kettlehead Studios’ The Lindworm (Playwright/Director); Knox College’s Pamela (Playwright/Director), Waiting, or, A Treatise on Samuel Beckett… (Playwright), and Kayfabe (Playwright). Thanks to my parents, my siblings, professor Sherwood Kiraly, and my Knox playwriting classmates–sorry I made you read this and then walk home in the dark. www.newplayexchange.org/users/32091/madison-mondeaux
ANTON SANTIAGO (they/he) — Scenic Designer
BFA ’26 Theatre Design & Technology. Emerson Stage credits: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (Asst. Technical Director), Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (Asst. Technical Director), The Impracticality of Modern Day Mastodons (Props Assistant), How We Got On (Asst. Scenic Designer), Mary, Sweet Mary (Asst. Technical Director). Select Emerson College credits: emShakes’ Hamlet (Director); Bluejay’s Rabbit Hole (Sound Designer); Mercutio Troupe’s Trail to Oregon (Co-Scenic Designer/Props Lead); Mercutio Troupe’s Our Dear Dead Drug Lord (Assistant Scenic Designer). Thanks to mom for the unwavering support and love. @afl.santiago
SOPHIE O’QUEST (any pronouns) — Costume Designer
BFA ’26 Theatre Design & Technology. Emerson Stage credits: Second Star to the Right (Asst. Costume Designer), 16 Winters (Wardrobe Supervisor), Paris (Asst. Wardrobe Supervisor). Thanks to my mom and dad for encouraging me to do what I love!
CHIRON SPIEDEL — Lighting Designer
Bio coming soon!
AUBREY DUBE — Sound Designer
AUBREY DUBE (Sound Designer): Winter People (Boston Playwrights’ Theatre); Paradise Blue, The Thin Place, Stew (Gloucester Stage Company); Queens, Torch Song, The House of Ramon Iglesia (Moonbox Productions); Toni Stone, Fat Ham, Clyde’s, The Bluest Eye, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Huntington): Trayf, Good (New Rep); Vinegar Tom, Monster, Serious Money, Pentecost (PTP/NYC), Fences (Umbrella Theatre); Morning Noon and Night, Downtown Crossing, Vietgone (Company One); Simona’s Search (Hartford Stage), The Fortune Teller (Chuang Stage); A Case for the Existence of God, Potus (SpeakEasy Stage), Trouble in Mind (Lyric Stage); A Taste of Honey (Boston Center for American Performance). University: Cymbeline, Pilgrims of the Night (Suffolk University); Orlando (Brandeis University); Antipodes, Love and Information, As You Like It, Sensitive Guys (Northeastern University); Education: MFA in Sound Design (Boston University).
RYAN BATES (he/him) — Props Lead
Ryan is the Props Director for Emerson Stage, and has worked as a props lead and scenic designer throughout New England, including productions at New Repertory Theatre, Bridge Repertory Theatre, The Umbrella, Gloucester Stage Company, InMotion Theatre, Middlebury College, Longwood Players, Off the Grid, Fresh Ink, and many more. Ryan has taught Stagecraft at Emerson, and served on the faculty at Boston University. MFA: Boston University. www.ryanbatesdesign.com
ELIZABETH TIPPENS (she/her) — Stage Manager
BFA ’26 Stage & Production Management. Emerson Stage credits: […]Edward Tulane (Assoc. Production Supervisor), Imogen Says Nothing (Observing Director), Bat Boy (Asst. Production Supervisor), Little Women (Asst. Stage Manager), Old Jake’s Skirts (Production Assistant). Select Emerson College credits: Rareworks’ Five Times in One Night (Stage Manager); Musical Theatre Against the Grains’ Daddy Long Legs (Director); Kidding Arounds’ Tuck Everlasting (Sound Designer), Dear Morgan Le Fey (Co-Producer), Honk! (Sound Designer), and Snow Angel (Sound Designer); Musical Theatre Society’s High School Musical (Costume Designer); The 42nd and 43rd Annual EVVY Awards (Asst. Stage Manager); Tippens is the proud Executive Director of Kidding Around and Production Manager of BlueJay Theater Collective. She would like to thank Alyssa, Brooklyn, and Styx for being an amazing team; Joe, Gabi, and Ethan for all their support; and the cast for creating a wonderful environment. All the love always to Mom, Dad, Mac, and Oliver! @Tippens__
ETHAN WEST (he/him) — Production Supervisor
BFA ‘25 Stage & Production Management. Emerson Stage credits: Amour (Stage Manager); Second Star… (Assoc. Production Supervisor ); BONNETS: How Ladies of Good Breeding Are Induced to Murder (1st ASM); The Loyals (2nd ASM); Into the Woods (PA). Emerson College credits: MTS’ Dogfight (Stage Manager); emShakes’ Death of a Salesman (Stage Manager); EVVY41, EVVY42 (ASM), EVVY43 (Stage Manager); MTAG’s A Chorus Line (Producer); MTAG’s Fun Home (Producer) and MTAG’s Production Manager; Kidding Around’s Seussical TYA (Stage Manager). Regional credits: Kinky Boots, The Music Man, Come From Away (ASM) at Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre. Thanks to Annie Levy and Deb Acquavella for their mentorship, and thank you to my friends and family for their love and support. @Ethanwest721
BEE LACLAIR (they/them) — Dramaturg
Previous Emerson Stage credits: The Secret in the Wings (PA), 2023 NewFest Short Works (ASM), Little Women (Asst. PSupe), BONNETS (ASM), The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (Asst. Props). Professional credits: Interlakes Summer Theatre ASM for A Chorus Line, I Do! I Do!, Little Shop of Horrors, Sammy Davis Jr. Live at the Palace, Grease, The King and I, Sister Act, Cats. Brown Ledge Director/Designer for Hamlet, Hamle, Ham!, The Goblins’ Plot to Murder God, 10,000 Cigarettes. Bee would like to thank Maddie for all of her fierce collaborative work and Marissa for her support!
Meet the
Emerson Stage Staff
Staff
Artistic Director — Kate Cherry
Associate Production Manager — Katie Meade
Technical Director — Kristin Knutson
Head Carpenter — Connor Thompson
Scenic Area Advisor –– Luciana Stecconi
Scenic Painter — Joe Keener
Props Director — Ryan Bates
Assistant Properties Manager — Lauren Corcuera
Costume Area Advisor –– Tristan Raines
Costume Shop Supervisor — Richelle Devereaux-Murray
Assistant Costume Shop Supervisor — Becky Pieroth
Draper/Cutter — Laurie Bramhall
Lighting Area Advisor — Jason Lyons
Advisors FOR THIS PRODUCTION
Stage and Production Management — Debra A. Acquavella
Scenic Painting — Joe Keener
Costume Design — Chloe Moore
HMU Design –– Rachel Paula-Shufelt
Costume Production –– Richelle Devereaux-Murray
Lighting Design — Jason Lyons
Dramaturgy — Marissa Friedman
Student Staff
Emerson Stage Office Assistants — Kayla Copping, Alayna Domboski, Karli Fisher, Carly Mentis, JJ Moore, Liliana Ravins
Production Management Assistants — Esther Chilson, Oliver Worner
Videographers — Vincent Chen, Ethan West
Scenic Technicians — Lúa Azancot, Nel Blinman, Kieran Graeff, Davis Kranchalk, Bee LaClair, Elodie Lambert, Aiden Lank, Echo Lu, Oscar McQuilkin, Zoe Mills, Brooklyn Williams
Volunteer Scenic Technicians –– Mack MacIntyre, Kiana McCully
Scenic Artists/Painters — Yara (Rayan) Afif, Nel Blinman, Paige Boyon, Lily Hourin, Elodie Lambert, Sienna Leone, Liz Nunnery, Leo Servetar, David Staats, Charlize Tabrizi
Paint Shop Assistant — Maggie Stewart
Prop Shop Assistants — Amaya Gonzalez-Mollmann, Ava Scanlon
Prop Technicians –– Eri Lackey, Bee LaClair, Georgie Ten Eyck, Sydney Williams
Stitchers — Anna Ten Eyck, Zee Cowan, Amanda Jacobson, Izzy Bacallo, Nina Turovskiy, Madeline Henry, Alexa Peterson-Ismail, David Schell, Heidi Keithahn
Stock Attendants — Sierra Bivins, Isabella Fortebuono
Light Lab Inventory Assistant — Eli Goldberg