Close Quarters
Written by Abby Auman
Directed by Jason Phillips
FEBRUARY 20 - MARCH 1, 2026
LAMPLIGHT AVL
About Phantom Lamp Theatre Company
Phantom Lamp Theatre Company is a bare bones theatre company committed to developing original work, creative collaboration, and taking risks.
One of the core tenets of Phantom Lamp is to (as often as possible) do site-specific work. The ethos around this is that what we're making literally could not happen anywhere else, in any other time, thusly creating an event that is truly ephemeral. So much of our lives now is quick memes and images thrust in our faces online, then recycled ad nauseum... what we want to offer is something that connects us in real, tangible space. What we do will always be something brand new - and it may be a little messy at times! To us, this real-time mingling of energies and ideas, is worth the time spent experimenting. Some of our work will be serious in nature, and will seek to push the boundaries of what our society can achieve (or at least aspire to), but a lot of it will just be about creating joy and community connection. When someone tries to describe our work, we hope they'll be smiling and will ultimately say... "you really just had to be there."
Phantom Lamp was founded by Abby Auman, Jess Johnson, Katie Jones, Jason Phillips, and Quinn Terry.
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A Note from the Playwright
Writing a clue-style, multi-ending play has been by far the most difficult creative project I have ever undertaken. The first half needs to set up relationships, drop clues, and establish lore that can go in multiple directions in the second half and still make sense. I was doing rewrites right up until the deadline (which actually extended until after the first few rehearsals!) There were definitely moments that I believed that I wasn't a good enough writer to pull it off. But when I sat in on the first readthru, I was so happy. The casting is absolutely perfect. Jason's directorial choices are so fun and clever. At that moment, I started to really believe in not just the show, but myself. I want to thank the creative team for handling this crazy idea with such expertise and aplomb, and you, the audience, for joining us on this ride. Thank you for supporting artists who take risks. You make it possible for us to push our boundaries, and grow beyond what we could have believed possible.
A Note from the Director
Close Quarters began with Abby Auman saying, essentially, “What if we tried this?” and the Phantom Lamp team saying "Hell yes!".
Abby began the script which was hilarious and full of delightful weirdness. We brainstormed, shaped, clarified, and stress-tested it. Abby is an amazing collaborator allowing us to help guide the story without sanding off what makes it unmistakably hers. The voice, the vulnerability, the joyful absurdity is all Abby. We just helped aim the spotlight.
Then came auditions, the classic new company anxiety spiral. Will anyone show up? Will anyone willingly sign up for a scripted/improv blue-plate special where the audience is a side dish in the meal? They showed up ready to play, which led to a new problem, how do you choose from this many wildly talented, fearless people? It was tough but we managed. The cast is a mixture of theatre kids and improv players melding their varied skills into a comedic feast.
Between snowstorms, video call table work, in person table work, improv workshops with the fabulous Katie Jones and the occasional “are we really doing this?”, we found the grounded heart of the play while fully embracing its silliness. Close Quarters lives in that tension — sincerity colliding with chaos.
And then we moved into Lamplight AVL... how do you stage a show when the audience could literally be anywhere in the playing space? Carefully. Creatively. Then with a deep breath and a lot of trust. Watching these brilliant actors take risks, care for one another, and make space for you (often very literal space) has been one of the most rewarding parts of this strange, enchanting journey.
Launching Phantom Lamp with a Lamplight AVL residency (THANK YOU LAMPLIGHT!!) with a piece like this feels exactly right: bold, collaborative, a little unpredictable. So sit back, relax and maybe prepare yourself. There is a very real possibility an actor will sit on you.
Enjoy the show. And behave, or Ghost Bouncer will get you.
Close Quarters Cast
In alphabetical order
| Bethany Prescott | Aspen |
| Cagney Larkin | Sam |
| Delina Hensley | Revrend Ricky |
| Elizabeth DeVault | Hot Goth |
| Jamie Knox | Shri Barbara |
| Morgan Miller | Parker |
| Nora Tramm | The UN | Stevie Ramirez | Roomie |
Click an image or hover over it to read cast bios.
Bethany Prescott (Aspen)
she/her
Bethany is delighted to be a part of Close Quarters, and honored to be cast alongside such amazing performers. An Asheville-based improviser, Bethany performs regularly around town in various long-form, short-form, and musical improv troupes, including the house teams at Misfit Improv, where she also serves on faculty as an improv teacher. Bethany also recently performed in Adesto Theater’s production of Improvised Jane Austen. And while she has been a musician and performer her entire life, Bethany finds this current season of improv and acting to be her most thrilling chapter yet. She sends her deepest thanks to her beloved partner, Carlisha, and her amazing mom, Cheryl, for their unwavering support during this production, and always.
Cagney Larkin (Sam)
he/him
Cagney grew up acting in theater, directed children's theater for several seasons, and has a background in filmmaking. Cagney is happy to be working with Phantom Lamp Theater Company in their debut of Close Quarters.
Delina Hensley (Reverend Ricky)
she/her
Delina is super excited to be a part of Phantom Lamp's inaugural show! She has worked for many years in and around Asheville for various theatre companies including (but not limited to) The Magnetic Theatre (RIP), Dark Horse Theatre, ACT, HART, SART and various other places in between. Many years ago, she was also involved in LYLAS, an all-female comedy troupe, and she was also a performer and guide on the LaZoom Comedy Tours. Delina would like to thank all of her friends within the theatre scene around Asheville, as well as all of the ones that are not in theatre who consistently show up and show their support. Mostly, she would like to thank her partner, Sarah, for her love and support and would ask that everyone say a silent word for her during this trying time as she is understanding more and more what life is like as a theatre widow.
Elizabeth DeVault (Hot Goth)
she/her
Elizabeth is an actor, singer, and director in Asheville. Recent performing credits include Wuthering Heights: The Musical (Cathy) with Dogged Utopia, Into the Woods (Rapunzel) at Asheville Community Theatre, Henry VI Pt 1 & 2/Richard III (Queen Margaret) and King Lear (The Fool) with Montford Park Players, and Romeo & Juliet (Rosaline/Friar John) with Nemesis Theatre. Recent directing credits include Young Frankenstein (Hendersonville Theatre 2023), Henry IV Pt 1 & 2 (Montford Park Players 2024), and Bloodletting in These Hills (Parkway Playhouse 2025). She is an adjunct instructor at AB Tech and Haywood Community College and mother to a bonkers black cat and an adorably feisty dachshund puppy.
Jamie Knox (Shri Barbara)
she/her
Jamie is a local actor, director, and playwright, originally from Texas, who has called Asheville home for a decade. She has been lucky enough to have many of her original plays produced locally and nationally, and she's excited that the birth of Phantom Lamp means original work is alive and well in Asheville! Previous NC acting credits include Emma (Stupid Fucking Bird), Young Linda (Death of a Salesman), Cee-Cee Windham (The Red Velvet Cake Wars), Toria (Blood at the Root), Cassie (The Shorthand Job), Ophelia (Hamlet), Abby (The Mercy Seat), Mrs. Martin (The Bald Soprano), Kira (Six Knots), Ulysses (Troillus & Cressida), Antonio (The Merchant of Venice), and Portia (Julius Caesar). She would like to thank her amazing husband for holding down the fort and having great hair, and her daughter for making it extra hard on Daddy while Mama is gone.
Morgan Miller (Parker)
she/her
Favorite Roles include Claire Claremont in The Frankenstein Rubrics, The Protagonist in Happyland, and Cultist A in New Queer’s Eve at The Magnetic Theatre; Ariel in The Little Mermaid and Janet in The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Asheville Community Theatre; Nancy in Oliver and The Lady Of The Lake in Spamalot at HART; Gretchen in Boeing Boeing and Sophie in The Star Spangled Girl at Parkway Playhouse; and Elle Woods in Legally Blonde and Sally Applewhite/Mary Hatch in It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play at Hendersonville Community Theatre. She extends heartfelt gratitude to her fiancé Ben, her family, and her friends for their unwavering love and support.
Nora Tramm (The UN)
they/them
Born to goof but raised to be a productive member of society, Nora Tramm symbolizes the glorious failure of the modern social experiment. Asheville's only physicist-turned-improv-star, Nora can be seen around town performing with troupes including Saturday Manitee, Family Dinner, and the 5 Horsemen of Existentialism. They also have some cats; if you would like to hear more about that, just ask.
Stevie Ramirez (Roomie)
they/them
Stevie is an improviser, comedian, actor, singer, clown, teacher, and artist in Asheville. They enjoy bringing queer and diverse perspectives to their shows and their community. You may have recently seen them in Adesto Theatre's Improvised Horror Plays, hosting this past season of Challenge Accepted, a comedy gameshow, or competing in the monthly improv competition, Off the Cuff, in Flat Rock, NC. Locally, Stevie is in several improv troupes including 5 Horsemen of Existentialism, Men's Warehouse, and Mostly Millennials.
They would like to thank their fiancé, Ste, for being a gentle, loving, and selfless supporter of their artistic endeavors. Stevie also thanks the Asheville improv community for building them up over the past 5 years and allowing them space to express their true self onstage and off.
Close Quarters Production Team
| Playwright | Sound & Lighting Designer | Abby Auman |
| Director | Jason Phillips |
| Stage Manager | Dana Gillihan |
| Improv Coach | Katie Jones |
| Production Manager | Jess Johnson |
| Costume Designer | Christine Caldemeyer |
| Set & Props Designer | Amanda Brown | Social Media Guy | Box Office & Concessions Manager | Quinn Terry |
ABBY AUMAN (PLAYWRIGHT | SOUND & LIGHTING DESIGNER) she/her
Abby is the Technical Director at Asheville Community Theater and a theatrical lighting designer throughout WNC. She also wrote the parts of this play that are written. This is her fourth time writing parts of plays that are written, the other three being The Splatter Play, New Queer’s Eve, and I'd Rather Die Than Go Back To Christmastown.
JASON PHILLIPS (DIRECTOR) he/him
Jason A Phillips has worked in theatre as an actor, director, writer, storyteller, and improv’er for over 30 years. He recently appeared in Parkway Playhouse’s productions of Arsenic and Old Lace and Bloodletting in These Hills and in Adesto Theatre's Improvised Jane Austen. During the past two years he was a part DoubleDip Productions improv show Scuttlebutt. He has worked locally with Asheville Community Theatre, Adesto, Nemesis, The Magnetic Theatre, and Montford Park Players. He is thrilled to be one of the Phantom Lamp Theatre Company founders and has had a blast directing Close Quarters.
DANA GILLIHAN (STAGE MANAGER) she/her
Dana is chuffed to be stage managing this spooky show with this ridiculously talented cast and crew at PLTC! She has stage managed and performed with theaters in Asheville, Burnsville, Waynesville, and Raleigh. When not at the theater, Dana volunteers with FurEver Friends Animal Rescue in Asheville, and she shares her home with her personal forever friends, Chris, and felines Xander and Rosie. Dana is a proud graduate of Ghost University.
KATIE JONES (IMPROV COACH) she/her
Katie Jones is a performer, director, and instructor. She studied theatre at Clemson University and Naropa University, and did an eight year stint in Chicago where she did lots of theatre and also got improv training at I.O. Chicago, the Annoyance, and Second City. In Asheville, Katie has worked with Asheville Creative Arts, the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival and was Co-Artistic Director of The Magnetic Theatre for six years. She is very excited about this inaugural project for Phantom Lamp and had a blast serving as improv coach for Close Quarters.
JESS JOHNSON (PRODUCTION MANAGER) she/her
Jess has worked in theatre for over 20 years as a stage manager, director, dramaturg, intimacy choreographer, and scenic designer. In WNC she has worked with the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival, Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective, Montford Park Players, Nemesis Theatre, and Parkway Playhouse, and she served as the Co-Artistic Director of The Magnetic Theatre. She is a founding member of Phantom Lamp Theatre Company. In addition to her behind the scenes work, she has a background in nonprofit management and production management.
CHRISTINE CALDEMEYER (COSTUME DESIGNER) she/her
Christine Caldemeyer is, first and foremost, proud beyond words of her talented wife, Abby, for pulling this goofy, madcap rabbit of a play out of her hat. She hopes the community enjoys watching the show as much as she did observing it come to life, and thanks the cast and crew of Phantom Lamp for their patience with her costuming process.
AMANDA BROWN (SET & PROPS DESIGNER) she/her
Amanda is a hermit but will emerge to make things with people she likes.
QUINN TERRY (SOCIAL MEDIA GUY | BOX OFFICE & CONCESSIONS MANAGER) they/he
Quinn is very happy you're here, supporting local art. He sincerely hopes you enjoy the show, and that if you do, you'll tell the Ghost Bouncer, who has kept him trapped in the back room for the entire rehearsal process "just in case."
Special Thanks
