Fuse Theatre Ensemble and The OUTwright Theatre Festival THE CAST

present Sally Bowles Gwendolyn Duffy

The Emcee Ernie Lijoi^
CABARET Clifford Bradshaw
Herr Schultz
Alec Cameron Lugo^
Glenn Williams
book by Joe Masteroff • music by John Kander • lyrics by Fred Ebb Fräulein Schneider Dmae Roberts
Ernst Ludwig Michael J Teufel
based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood Fräulein Kost/Fritzie Sara Fay Goldman^
Rosie Kimo Camat
Lulu Kate Faye Cummings
DIRECTOR’S NOTES Frenchie Shani Harris-Bagwell
There is certainly an immediacy in producing Cabaret in this current sociopolitical climate; rises in anti-Semitism, nationalism, Texas Sofia May-Cuxim
and authoritarianism are the canaries in the coal-mine we call fascism. We don’t have to search very hard to find analogous
Helga Signe Larsen
situations between the shift from the highly liberal Weimar Republic into Nazi Germany and our current shift from the liberal
Obama administration into whatever we call this nightmare we live in today. Bobby Nikolas Hoback^
Victor Christopher Beatty
However, I was also fascinated by another current concept that seems relevant to Kander and Ebb’s magical world: the concept
of the safe space, especially safe spaces like gay-clubs, sex-clubs, strip-clubs and burlesque. The notion of safe spaces where
CREW/PRODUCTION TEAM
consent is given by walking thru the door seems at odds with the concept of contemporary safe spaces where consent is Director/Scenic Designer/Lighting Designer Rusty Tennant^
discussed, never assumed. As a gay man, I see my community at odds, stuck between the former definitions of safes spaces Choreographer Kate Mura^
and the current ideas of consent. But in every space there are rules:, and remember, for our Cabaret, strip-club rules apply: our Additional Choreography Rusty Tennant^, Nikolas Hoback^
performers may touch you, but you may not touch our performers. Music Director Matt Insley
Costume Designer Jessica Kroeze Bobillot
I’ve also never been satisfied with the performances of Sally I have witnessed which often paint her in a standard screw-ball
fashion. As someone who has spent some time working in seedy nightclubs (and frequenting a few... it’s research!), I feel Sound Designer Christopher Beatty
confident that Sally is not just surrounded by the darker attractions of sex, alcohol and drugs, but she fully gives into their Stage Manager Jenn Lindell
power as a means of survival. At the onset of the play she is lost, a stranger in a strange land barely speaking the language Assistant Stage Manager Abigail Schrader
and knowing little if anything about the politics. Christopher Isherwood describes her as a somewhat boring performer with Props Master/Production Assistant Garrett Brown
her arms dangling straight at her sides whom you couldn’t take your eyes off if only because of her extreme lack of caring what
Dance Captain/Dialect Coach/Hair & Make-up Designer Signe Larsen
anyone thinks about her. Sally is also, rather abruptly, fired from her job where she is the star. I’ve never seen these dots fully
connected, and I hope that we are able to show you a Sally adrift in the beginning who clings to Cliff for much the same reason Dialect Consultant Thaddaeus Smith
Cliff clings to her (to be saved, except Cliff is not lost in booze and drugs; he is lost in his own sexuality). Our hope is that you Scenic Artist Greg Schilling
go on a journey with Sally, that you understand why she needed to be fired, why she needs to live with Cliff, why she needs to Mask Designer Juliana Cable
have an abortion, and why she eventually needs to return to the Cabaret. In all reality, this is not a happy story. If we were to
check in with Sally 10 years after the story of the play she would likely be in a concentration camp or mass grave.
Keyboard Matt Insley
As is common, adaptations of Isherwood’s novel into a play and musical straight-washed the story even when it was being Drums Cameron Poehner
penned by gay people. Luckily Sam Mendes revamped the 1966 Cabaret into the deconstructed 1998 version that starred Alan Bass Andy Schanz
Cumming and the late Natasha Richardson. In this version, Cliff is given his rightful story which is a battle between his sexual ^ensemble member of Fuse Theatre Ensemble
desires and the norms of society.
SPECIAL THANKS TO
For most of us in the theatre world, Cabaret is a bucket-list show. It owns a place as part of the American Musical Canon while Ronni Lacroute • Leland Hanson • Reed College Theatre Department • Karin Magaldi
denouncing and deconstructing many of its paradigms. It is a beautiful story of love and love lost, but it also the story of being Judy Margles • Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education • Juliana Cable
queer before queer was a noun. We hope you enjoy our very dark, very immersive, very queer Cabaret.
Greg Parkinson Photography • Alec Lugo Graphics • Andy Barrett • Lucy Hobbs • Annie Bosworth Foley
RUSTY TENNANT, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Liam Mitchell • Ryan Gamblin • Susannah Mars • Community Theatre Heros • Sara Nightingale • Media Rites
Christopher Beatty (Victor/Sound Designer) - Chris is a composer, sound designer, and actor
with a penchant for the absurd. Recent projects include Milagro Theatre’s The Mermaid Hour,
Northwest Classical Theatre Collaborative’s Three Sisters, Salt and Sage’s Hamlet and Twelfth
Night, and the Spectravagasm series. You can catch him every holiday season underscoring
the hugely popular Christmas Carol: A One Man Ghost Story with the inestimable Phillip Berns
in various venues across Portland. He is currently a company member at The Reformers, and
performs music with the band Brothers Hallowed Junction.
Kimo Camat (Rosie) - Kimo is overjoyed for his first production at Fuse Theatre Ensemble and the
chance to work with such a talented cast and crew. Kimo spent his undergrad studying Theatre
and Organizational Communications at Unversity of Portland. In his spare time Kimo likes to
cook, hike, and make music with his acappella group B-Side Book Club. Some of his recent work
includes Cinderella (Northwest Children’s Theatre), Judy Moody (Oregon Children’s Theatre),
American Idiot (Triangle Productions), Love and Information (Theatre Vertigo), Shrek the Musical
(Northwest Children’s Theatre), and Mame (Lakewood). Kimo would like to thank his family, his
friends, and his significant otter Mason for their constant love and support!
Kate Faye Cummings (Lulu) - Kate Faye is excited to be returning to the Funhouse stage after
playing Holly Genaro here in Die Hard: The Musical Parody last winter, a role she will be reprising
for the holiday season. Her previous work includes roles in productions such as Jesus Christ
Superstar, Hair, The Addams Family, and Rent. Kate Faye is also happy to be returning this
summer to the Metropolitan Performing Arts Center to teach History of Magic and Ghoul Studies
at their Hogwarts acting camp. She moved here just over two years ago from Montana and loves
the vibrant arts community and delightful quirkiness that Portland provides in abundance. She
is delighted to call it home.
Gwendolyn Duffy (Sally Bowles) - Raised here in Portland, Gwendolyn studied dance and
theatre from a young age and began her professional performance career in 2005 as a member
of The Suzanne Farrell Ballet in Washington, D.C. Recently she portrayed George Young Bradley
in Third Rail Rep’s production of Men On Boats. Other Portland theatre credits include: Dancer
in Portland Opera’s The Little Match Girl Passion, Rachel in CoHo Production’s The How and The
Why, Ensemble in Imago Theatre’s Savage/Love, and the Title Character in Imago’s The Lady
Aoi. Gwendolyn is a graduate of Portland Actors Conservatory where she performed as The
Stepdaughter in Six Characters in Search of an Author and Benvolio in Romeo & Juliet.
Sara Fay Goldman (Fräulein Kost/Fritizie) - Sara Fay just loves singing and dancing SFG has
performed in various roles on and offstage with many companies, especially Milagro, Jewish
Theatre Collaborative, and of course Fuse. Recently she was seen playing Feste and Hamlet
with Salt and Sage Productions and workshopping her one-woman show, Tether also directed
by Rusty Tennant. Also a teacher and aspiring acrobat, SF feels very grateful for the extended
Fuse family that she’s grown and evolved with through this very dynamic decade in Portland.
Up next, please come to a new adaptation of Shrew she’ll be directing for Experience Theatre
Project this summer, The Taming And The Shrew: A Kind of History.
Shani Harris-Bagwell (Frenchie) - Shani is loving Portland. She received her Bachelor of Music
in Vocal Performance with an emphasis in Contemporary Commercial Music from McNeese
State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana. She has performed throughout the United States,
internationally and, most recently, sang Alto with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus. Locally
she has worked with PassinArt Theater and Original Practice Shakespeare Festival. This is her
first performance with Fuse Theatre Ensemble and is overjoyed to be participating in the
OUTwright Festival, this cast has made her feel truly at home here.
Nikolas Hoback (Bobby) - Nik has been a member of Fuse since 2010 and has had the joy of
creating shows like #Smarter_Than_Phones, Karaoke Night! The Musical, and A Midsummer
Night’s Somnambulism. He has also been seen with Fuse as Ty in Sordid Lives, both Lysander,
Demetrius, and Robin Goodfellow in Somnambulism, Charlie in Paradise Park, and John in the
Field in TRAGEDY: a tragedy, and many staged readings in The OUTwright Theatre Festival. Nik
has been seen with Original Practice Shakespeare Festival, Bag&Baggage, Portland Shakespeare
Project, Classic Greek Theater of Oregon, New Century Players, Post 5, Clark College, and the PSU
Opera. Look for Nik in a new version of his solo show Virgin in Neverland, cumming this fall.
Signe Larsen (Helga/Dance Captain/Dialect Coach/Hair & Make-up Designer) - Signe Larsen joins
the cast of Cabaret after appearing with a Fuse last summer in Sordid Lives (nominated best
actress BroadwayWorld). She is also an Associate Artist with Bag&Baggage, most recently seen
in Romeo&Juliet (Layla&Majnun) and won Best Featured Actress (BroadwayWorld) for Tybalt/
Fight Choreographer. She is usually found acting, teaching, sewing, and painting for Northwest
Children’s Theatre. She holds a BFA in acting, and is a professional knitter, teaching tap dance,
and fiddles in a Pirate folk band! Wilkommen!
Ernie Lijoi (The Emcee) - Ernie wrote the book, lyrics, and music for Fuse’s recent production
of Under the Influence: All Trumped Up, also directed by Rusty Tennant. The original Fuse
production of this piece in 2015 earned Ernie a Drammy for Best Original Music and a Nomination
for Best Original Script. Ernie was seen in last year’s OUTwright production as Wardell in Sordid
Lives. Before that he was seen as Jesus in Michael Streeter’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar.
Ernie’s work as a lyricist was seen on Broadway in the 2015 production It Shoulda Been You. His
work as a solo recording artist earned him a Billboard Award for “Best Unsigned Artist of the
Year”. His jazz, pop, and novelty songs are sung by choruses and cabaret artists internationally.
Alec Cameron Lugo (Clifford Bradshaw) - Alec is honored to be the newest member of Fuse
Theatre Ensemble. A 2016 graduate of Pacific University, recent local credits include Merrily We
Roll Along (as Franklin Shepherd, Staged!), Godspell (as Jesus u/s, Lakewood Theatre), and
Fuse’s last production, Under the Influence (as Swing). He is also a graphic artist, and has created
art for Playwrights West, Badass Theatre Company, Milagro Theatre, Stumptown Stages, Aloha
Theatre, Corrib Theatre, and Bag&Baggage Productions, among others. He is an Associate Artist
with Original Practice Shakespeare Festival, the Marketing Assistant with Bag&Baggage, and a
member of the Third Rail Repertory Mentorship Program. As always, thank you Victor and Mary.
Sofia May-Cuxim (Texas) - Sofia is playing the Emcee... Wait... Frau Schneider... No! Kost... Er,
Arizona... Um...SOMETHING in Cabaret. Ah! It’s the trumpet. With her... You’ll see. Anyway, a
degree in Theatre from the oldest university in the continent and 43 years acting have landed
here. Don’t blink or you’ll miss her! She’s been in 15 productions in Portland, was nominated for
a Supporting Actress Drammy and won an ALMA award in Los Angeles. Being in Cabaret with
such a cast is a dream!
To Dad, missing you hard.
Dmae Roberts (Fräulein Schneider) - Dmae is a two-time Peabody winning public radio producer/
writer and executive producer of the nonprofit MediaRites and Theatre Diaspora, Oregon’s first
Asian American/Pacific Islander Theatre company. She has won two Drammys, one for acting
and one for her play Picasso In The Back Seat, which premiered at Artists Repertory Theatre and
won the 1996 Oregon Book Award. She has performed in more than 20 stage plays in Portland
including the IFCC, OSF-Portland, Profile Theatre, Miracle Theatre and Tygres Heart Shakespeare
Company. She was recently in Caught marking her fifth show with Artists Rep. She is thrilled to
be reprising Fraulein Schneider after playing it at the University of Oregon nearly 30 years ago.
Michael J Teufel (Ernst Ludwig) - 2018 marks Michael’s 21st year on Portland stages with
companies including Fuse as last year’s Brother Boy in Sordid Lives, Cygnet, Stark Raving,
Lakewood Theater, Bag&Baggage, Twilight Theater, Triangle! Productions, The Third Floor Sketch
Comedy, Tygres Heart, Playwrite Inc and The Funhouse. Michael is a co-founder of The Well Arts
Institute, an Arts in Healthcare organization practicing the transformative power of storytelling.
Michael is a graduate of the University of Queensland Law School, Australia and has trained
locally with acting coaches Barbara Kite and Shelly Lipkin. Michael is grateful for the opportunity
to collaborate with such passionate Artists. As always, for Diane
Glenn Williams (Herr Schultz) - Glenn has been acting and directing theatre and film for over
forty years. Some favorite acting roles include Oedipus the King, The Stage Manager (Our Town),
Lee (True West), Iago, Orgon, Ralph Rackstraw, Oberon, and Sir John Falstaff (Henry IV, Part 2, as
well as The Merry Wives of Windsor). He has directed dozens of plays, including A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, The Diviners, The Tempest, The Diary of Anne Frank, & Macbeth. In college, he
sang professionally on tour. He was a founding member, and Associate Artistic Director, of
Tygres Heart Shakespeare Co., here in Portland, for five years. He has worked with Liminal and
Northwest Classical Theatre, among many others, including several companies he started.
Rusty Tennant (Director/Scenic Designer/Lighting Designer) - Selected Regional Credits: The
Reason for the Season (Director, Artists Rep), Ten Chimneys (Asst. Director; Damaso Rodriguez,
dir., Artists Rep), A Streetcar Named Desire (Asst. Dir., Fight Choreographer, Jon Kretzu, dir. Artists
Rep). As an Actor: Carousel (Gary English, dir. Connecticut Rep), House of Plunder (Ryan Rilette,
dir. Southern Rep), Mother Courage (Robert Benedetti, dir. Nevada Conservatory Theatre). Rusty
serves as the Technical Director at Reed College and has been a regular adjunct faculty and guest
artist at multiple local colleges and universities. He is also the Producing Artistic Director of The
OUTwright Theatre Festival, and Artistic Directir of Fuse Theatre Ensemble.
Kate Mura (Choreographer) - Kate is a founding member of Fuse Theatre Ensemble, it’s Artistic
Ambassador and Board President. She is proud of the company’s transformation over the last
ten years; creating the OUTwright Theatre Festival, as well as sight specific, original, adaptive and
solo works. With Fuse, her solo mask show, Suburban Tribe, toured the US and internationally
participating in the Avignon OFF (France) through The Garage International’s invitation, and
received one of Theatre Jones’ Best Small Tour Awards (Dallas). She has greatly enjoyed weaving
her dance background with less traditional movement forms for Cabaret. www.katemura.com
Matt Insley (Music Director/Keyboard) - Matt is proud to be working with Fuse for the second
time. Previous credits include: Jesus Christ Superstar (PAMTA nomination, Best Music Direction),
Under The Influence, Trail To Oregon, Bite Me A Little, The Rape of Lucrece and Die Hard: The
Musical Parody, the latter two of which he co-composed the score. Thanks to Rusty for the
opportunity to direct such an iconic piece of theatre. Special thanks to Andy Barrett, for being
one of the best guys imaginable.
Jessica Kroeze Bobillot (Costume Designer) - Jessica is an apparel artist who has worked on dozens
of theatrical production Sense & Sensibility, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (PAC), One Flea
Spare (Shaking the Tree), Eyes for Consuela, Road to Mecca (Profile Theatre), Seven Guitars, The
Lieutenant of Inishmore (ART), As You Like It (Portland Shakespeare Project), The Pride (Defunkt),
and Three Sisters (Northwest Classical Theatre Collaborative). She designs for dance, film, and
special events. Her dresses have been seen in Martha Stewart Weddings and have won awards
at The Red Dress Benefit Gala. She has B.S.A.s in painting and printmaking, and apparel design.
Jenn Lindell (Stage Manager) - Jenn is a preschool teacher by day and a freelance stage and
production manager on nights and weekends. Since graduating from Reed College in 2014, Jenn
has been happily immersed in Portland theatre, working with companies such as Northwest
Classical, Portland Actors Ensemble, and Coho Productions. She is an associate artist with Theatre
Vertigo and won Portland’s Spotlight Award for Stage Management in 2015. Jenn has also worked
in Seattle, WA with The Driftwood Players for several summers and has a particular passion for
theatre education.
Abigail Schrader (Assistant Stage Manger) - Abby is a theatre major at Reed College, graduating in
2020. Her recent experience at Reed includes assistant stage managing for Love and Information,
working on run crew for Shrinking Violets and Towering Tiger Lilies, and acting in What Where.
This is her first production with Fuse Theatre Ensemble and she is excited for her introduction to
theatre in Portland.
Garrett Brown (Props Master/Production Assistant) - Garrett Brown has previously been heard with
Stumptown Stages mixing the music for Phantom, A Christmas Carol, and the world premiere of
Folk City. He has also appeared in the background of television shows such as The Librarians,
Everything Sucks, American Vandal, and Here and Now. He graduated from Pacific University in
2017, studying anthropology, theatre, and gender studies. When not working in theatre, Garrett
volunteers, writes, and walks good dogs (although, they are all good dogs) for PDX Company Hot
Diggity.