Rising Stars: Meet Cassandra Moselle of Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cassandra Moselle.

Hi Cassandra, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been telling stories for as long as I can remember. In first grade, I was writing plays during recess, casting my friends, and convincing our teacher to let us perform them. I didn’t know it then, but that was probably my first taste of producing — I just knew I loved creating something from nothing and watching it come alive with other people.

That love of storytelling led me to pursue my M.F.A. in physical theater, where I explored everything from commedia dell’arte and clowning to devising, mask, and physical theater. I became fascinated by how we can use our entire bodies as instruments to tell stories — and how much can be said without words at all.

After grad school, I founded WhatNot Theatrics. My first play, Parlor House: Panic of 1893, was set in a Seattle brothel on the eve of the first economic collapse. I didn’t call it immersive at the time because I didn’t know that’s what it was — it just felt like a story people needed to walk into and experience firsthand.

I like to think stories come to me and I’m simply the vessel. I sit down, get quiet, and let them unfold in my head like a film. That process naturally lends itself to creating 360-degree worlds where audiences don’t just watch the story — they live inside it.

Right now, I’m in rehearsals for my latest script, The Wake of Annie Grady, an immersive play set in Dublin in 1867. Guests arrive to pay their respects at an Irish wake, only to discover Annie’s death may not have been accidental. It blends Irish folklore with a whodunit mystery.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I wouldn’t call it a smooth road, but I think that’s true for most artists. The biggest challenges have been practical ones — funding, finding the right grants, and figuring out how to scale projects without losing what makes them intimate and alive. Venues have also been a hurdle. Stages are disappearing, and even though I’m not necessarily looking for a traditional stage, it’s getting harder to find affordable spaces to put on a show.

Like many artists, I balance a full-time day job with my creative work, which means time and energy are always in negotiation. It’s not easy, but I’ve learned to treat those limitations as part of the creative process. When you don’t have unlimited resources, you get inventive — you build worlds with what you have, and that often leads to more interesting, unconventional choices.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I create immersive, narrative-driven theater — the kind of work where audiences step inside the story instead of watching it from the outside. Through my company, WhatNot Theatrics, I write and direct experiences that blur the line between reality and performance, often rooted in history, folklore, and emotional connection — from an Irish wake in 1867 to a pub on Samhain night.

My specialty is writing fully formed narratives that unfold in real time, never looping. It’s a bit like turning a choose-your-own-adventure book into a play: audiences are free to follow the story that calls to them, so no two experiences are the same. My latest script, The Wake of Annie Grady, is 242 pages long, with every moment part of one continuous, immersive story.

What sets my work apart is how I write fully realized narratives that use the space itself as a character. Audiences don’t just watch the story unfold — they move through it, encountering the world as I’ve imagined it. Each venue shapes the story, making every performance unique and giving people a chance to experience history, mystery, and emotion in a tangible, immediate way.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memories are the family trips to Harrison Hot Springs, which my family has been visiting since the 1950s. I loved piling into the car in Seattle with my parents, brothers, grandparents, and cousins, driving up together, and spending the weekend swimming, exploring, and just being together. On the way back, we’d always stop at Bedrock City, a Flintstones-themed amusement park, which was always my favorite part!

Pricing:

• https://linktr.ee/cmoselle
• https://www.strangertickets.com/events/171395206/wake-of-annie-grady

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cassandramoselle.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cassandramoselle
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhatNotTheatrics/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatnottheatrics
• Other: https://linktr.ee/cmoselle