Karli Jean Lonnquist is a multidisciplinary Theatre Artist based in Orange, California.

Karli is a Portland, OR raised playwright and actress currently based in Orange, CA.  She is working on earning her BA in Theatre with an area of study in Dramaturgy, Playwriting and Literary Management and her BA in Peace Studies with an area of study in Interfaith Relations at Chapman University.

Karli’s playwriting has been produced in both professional and educational settings in Oregon and California.  Her playwriting credits include lemongrass, honey, whiskey. (workshopped and produced at the Young Professionals Company), Archer, Archer, (world premiere at Jesuit High School Portland, produced through Cross the Line at Chapman University), Gloaming (staged reading in the Young Playwright's Festival at Lakewood Theatre Company and featured in the Fertile Grounds Festival, world premiere through Cross the Line at Chapman University, full production at Real Toads Theatre Company) and if all the baths ran red... (world premiere through Cross the Line at Chapman University).  Karli's 10 minute play on the topic of gun violence, Hunter / Hunted, was one of 20 finalists out of 244 submissions in ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence's 2023 competition, and received feedback from industry professionals like Lauren Gunderson, David Henry Hwang and Zora Howard.  Karli specializes in writing plays that amplify teenage voices and struggles through surrealist and absurdist storytelling methods.  She is a proud member of the Dramatist's Guild.

Furthermore, Karli has 12 years of experience in acting, both in plays and in musical productions, and has appeared on stages in Portland and Orange.  She has performed in shows ranging from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Egeus, Northwest Children’s Theater) to The SpongeBob Musical (Karen the Computer, Jesuit High School Portland) to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Mrs. Shears/Mrs. Gascoyne/Others, Chapman University) to Mother Courage and Her Children (Second Soldier/Soldier/Singing/Soldier/ensemble, Chapman University).

In high school, after volunteering at Evans Creek Retreat, a camp for people with disabilities located in Oregon, Karli became dedicated to cultivating interdisciplinary theatrical opportunities as well as developing shows with and for this population.  She is a passionate proponent of inclusive theatre education, and finds joy in sharing stories created by and specifically for marginalized communities.  

Karli also strives to provide training in the theatrical disciplines of acting, directing, playwriting and dramaturgy for young theatre artists, as well as vocal coaching for those interested in musical theatre.  In 2023, Karli founded Chapman Student Playwrights, the university's only collegiate theatre company that focuses exclusively on playwriting education and new work development.  Karli currently serves as the company's president and Executive Producer.  Most recently, Karli taught theatre classes to kids aged 7 through 13 at Cedar Hills Recreation Center in Beaverton, Oregon and worked to refine and expand the center's theatrical curriculum.

Karli currently lives in a very small, but very cozy campus apartment with her lovely roommate, Julia (another practitioner of the performing arts!).  During the summer, she can be found back in Portland with her parents, Josh and Shanna, her brother, Beau, and the best 12-year-old Golden Retriever ever, Levi.