Ben Locke – Greg

An ensemble member of Chicago’s Bramble Theater, Mr. Locke has performed in many Chicago theaters, as both an actor and a dancer. His stages have included the Court Theater, Steppenwolf, the Raven Theater, About Face, Random Acts, the Broken Nose Theater, and the Ardent Dance Company.  He also knows his way around a keyboard, and has several scripts to show for it. Now taking his considerable talents from the stage to the screen, Mr. Locke, in addition to playing the lead in Strange Creatures, is developing the Room for More web series. He graduated from Millikin University with a joint degree in Theater and Human Services, but only because they didn’t offer a major in the Comparative Analysis of SpongeBob Squarepants episodes.

Jake Beauvais – The Roommate

Mr. Beauvais made his way to the tropical heat of Chicago after graduating with a degree in theater from the University of Alaska Anchorage. He was a founding member and collaborating director of UAA’s resident improv troupe, The Ad-lib Alchemists. When not performing Mr. Beauvais spends his time in collaborative storytelling environments (i.e., playing Dungeon and Dragons).

Lisa Stran – The Cougar

A founding member of Chicago’s Rogue Theater Company, Ms. Stran has trod the boards, tile, and linoleum at many of Chicago’s storefront theaters, including Edge of the Woods, Invictus, Cornservatory, Prologue, and Waltzing Mechanics. She is also a voice-over artist, doing projects as varied as narrating a documentary about Darfur, voicing the Natasha Romanov/Black Widow character for a “Daredevil” Digital Comic Book DVD, and impersonating Paris Hilton.

Venice Averyheart – The Doctor

Ms. Averyheart’s film credits include The Inside of Out and Todo O Nada. She is a company member of Chicago’s Trap Door Theatre and recently performed in Medea Material (*2022 Jeff Nomination), The Martyrdom of Peter O’hey, and The White Plague. She also enjoys boxing and is a proud southpaw, so you won’t see it coming.

Jesse James Jensen – The Boss

Mr. Jensen has been a long-time fixture in Hyde Park’s improv community, making it up as he goes at the Revival Theater as well as events throughout the University of Chicago. He has also done the rounds at Chicago’s standup comedy venues – if the guy at the mic is laying into the girl-scout-cookie extortion racket, that’s him.

Becca Schwartz – The Ex

Ms. Schwartz is a Chicago-based actor and intimacy professional. Past acting performances include The Women of Little Fannie Mine, Magus Park, and Something Rotten!. Intimacy credits include The Burning of Kenneth Carrion, Lavender, and Curse Breakers. And while there was no fighting on camera (or off, mostly) during the Strange Creatures sessions, the Society of American Fight Directors has certified Ms. Schwartz as an Advanced Actor Combatant.

Aakruti Sheth – The Girl

Ms. Sheth prepared for her stint as a Strange Creature by training at the Academy of Film, Fashion & Design, as well as The Second City. Her previous film credits include No Safe Places, Floundering for Love, and White Elephant.

Katelyn Lane – Solstice

Ms. Lane has performed in too many movies to list, but here’s a list: The Designer’s Program, Cutting it Klose, The Warrant, Dark Psychosis, and many more. Long before she received her B.F.A. in Acting from Northern Illinois University, Ms. Lane burst out of the starting blocks at age 9 in a production of Brigadoon, playing “Villager #8”. She has never looked back.

Alex Lang – The Boyfriend

A recent convert to the stability and short hours of an acting career, Mr. Lang has run through classes at iO, The Second City, and Acting Studio Chicago.

Julie Riffle – The Breather

Recently Ms. Riffle has performed in the short film The Longest Noodle by Sally Blood. She also shows the youngsters how it’s done, often acting in student films at Chicago-area film schools, including Northwestern. She attended Illinois State University in the 1980s and recently went back to finish her bachelor’s degree in theatre, where she has taken on roles running the gamut from Juliet to Kimberly Akimbo. 

Lily Clayton Hansen – The Nurse

The Thrills and Chills Film Festival honored Ms. Hansen in 2023 with the Best Performance award for her role in the film Snowflake, which she also wrote and produced. Her most recent film is the true story, You First. Also a true story, is that Ms. Hansen is a four-time author.

Andrew Clancey – The Target

Mr. Clancey has performed on several Chicago stages including Strawdog, Artemisia, Mercy Street, Oil Lamp, and Citadel (alas, the theater, not the investment group – because then we could have afforded a nicer apple). He studied Theatre Arts and Cinema and Comparative Literature at the University of Iowa.

Kristy Papczun – The P.A.

Ms. Papczun has a history in fashion design and previously worked with Todd Wells as the stage and costume designer for his musical, “Heroine: a Journey”.

Kara Tiemann – Wanda

Ms. Tiemann has performed with many choirs and a cappella groups over the years. Strange Creatures of the Adult Wilderness is her first comedy voice-over role, forcing her to temporarily shelve her arpeggios, and replace them with words containing the letter ‘k’.