Directed by Patrick Ciamacco
Music Direction by Anthony Trifiletti
Choreography by Katie Gibson
Stage Managed by Kate Leigh Michalski
Costume Design by Luke Scattergood
Set & Light Design by Patrick Ciamacco
CAST
Emma Beekman (Helga) is absolutely overjoyed to be back at Blank Canvas Theatre. She was last seen here in The Wild Party (Nadine) in 2016. Since then, she moved to Tampa, FL to pursue a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre at The University of Tampa, where she was seen in A Very Potter Musical (Draco Malfoy), The Pirates of Penzance (Edith), and a production of Baby (Arlene) of which Liz Calloway attended a performance. Other Tampa credits include Into the Woods (Cinderella), A Comedy of Tenors (u/s Mimi), and the regional premiere of All Bark No Bite (Bella). Many thanks to Patrick, Anthony, Katie, Luke, and everyone onstage and off for all that they do. Much love to her family and friends for all the love and support.
Angie Bendahan (Texas) is a Cleveland native and is over the moon to be back on stage at Blank Canvas Theatre! She was last seen onstage here in The Rocky Horror Show (Phantom). Other local theater credits include The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Gargoyle), Mary Poppins (Bird Woman) and Scrooge! The Musical (Mrs. Ethel Cratchit). Angie would like to thank Patrick and his team for this very special opportunity. Much love to all of her fellow artists, J.R., and R.L. Enjoy the show!
Alicia Diamond (Lulu) is very excited to be making her debut at Blank Canvas Theatre as Lulu in this production. Her recent credits include Company (Amy), and Junie B. Jones: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! (Junie B). She would like to thank the cast and crew for being so wonderful to work with. She would also like to thank her family for being so supportive.
Sandra Emerick (Sally Bowles) is thrilled to join the cast of Cabaret and to perform this iconic role. Sandra sends special props to the OG Sally, Tricia Bestic; her thanks to fiancé, Jeff for his unconditional love; and her love to son Evan for his patience during this process. Sandra’s most recent credits include Monty Python’s Spamalot (Lady of the Lake), If/Then (Elizabeth/Beth), and Porthouse Theatre’s productions of Anything Goes (Reno), Hairspray (Velma), Chicago (Velma), and Bye, Bye Birdie (Rose) as a member of Actor’s Equity Association. Favorite roles include Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey) and Gypsy (Mama Rose). Sandra works at Northeast Ohio Medical University and is lead vocalist for The Ovation Band. A special thank you to Patrick for this first-time opportunity to perform at Blank Canvas Theatre and to the cast for welcoming me to this remounting.
Noah Hrbek (Clifford Bradshaw) is overwhelmingly thrilled to be a part of this production again, after first playing the role in 2016. It has been a joy getting to work with so many incredibly talented people, both familiar and new. The last time he was seen at Blank Canvas Theatre was for the drive-In series show A New Hope. He has continued working with BCT behind the scenes, most recently doing video projections and effects for The Texas Chainsaw Musical! He also does graphic art for Near West Theatre, makes children’s book illustrations, and plays guitar for a rock musical project, Future Perfect. Huge thanks to everyone coming out to support live theater! Enjoy the show!
Stuart Hoffman (Ernst Ludwig) has been spending the past year reacquainting himself with classic radio drama thanks to Radio on the Lake Theatre, where he performed in Double Indemnity (Keyes), The Day the Earth Stood Still (Klaatu), and others. He was last seen in Beck Center's recent production of The Exonerated (Kerry). Stuart has been lucky enough to work with many local theaters, including three productions here at Blank Canvas Theatre, where he still feels weird writing about himself in the third person. Thank you to everyone involved with this remount. Love to Nichole.
Michael Knobloch (Victor) is thrilled to return to Blank Canvas Theatre and reprise his role in one of his favorite past productions! Other previous BCT credits include, Floyd Collins (Homer Collins), this year's A New Hope Spring concert, and the Chess benefit production in 2017. A few other favorite credits include Macbeth (Banquo) with Chagrin Arts, If/Then (Lucas) at Lakeland Civic Theatre, Bonnie & Clyde (Clyde) and Jekyll & Hyde (Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde) at French Creek Theatre, and Assassins (John Wilkes Booth) at Near West Theatre. Michael has performed across NE Ohio in several other venues including Beck Center for the Arts, Ohio Shakespeare Festival, Cassidy Theatre, Western Reserve Playhouse, and Weathervane Playhouse. It’s so good to be back in person and thank you, thank you, thank you for supporting live theatre!
Anne McEvoy (Frau Schneider) feels both humbled and surprised (!) to be part of this talented cast and crew, having left musical theatre behind over 20 years ago. She most recently worked at Blank Canvas Theatre directing Lobby Hero, and was last seen on stage here in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Elsewhere, Anne’s performed at Beck Center, Cleveland Playhouse, CPT, Dobama Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, Great Lakes Theatre, None Too Fragile, Ohio Shakespeare Festival, and Seat of the Pants.
Anna Parchem (Rosie) is so excited to make her Blank Canvas Theatre debut with such a special show, after having the joy of seeing it here in 2016. Anna holds a baccalaureate degree in Musical Theatre from Bowling Green State University and, since graduating, has performed at multiple theme parks across the United States and in educational theatre. Some favorite credits include The Witch Sisters (Herb) and Boneyard Battleground (Dancer) at Cedar Point, Numbers (Isabel) at The Rev Theatre Co., A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Puck) at BGSU, and Carrie: The Musical (Carrie White) at Near West Theatre. Following Cabaret, Anna may be found in your local classrooms, working as an Actor/Teacher for Great Lakes Theatre’s Residency program. Many thanks as always to her amazing support system and to Patrick for this dream of an opportunity.
Timothy Richard Parks (Herman) is excited to finally be working with Blank Canvas Theatre! Past acting credits include The Crucible (John Proctor), The Comedy of Errors (Antipholus of Syracuse), and The Producers (Carmen Ghia); he also participated in many other shows both onstage and backstage. Timothy cannot wait for everyone to see the show, and would like to thank Patrick for casting him in this role, the audience for coming to see the show, and his grandma for starting his love of theatre. Enjoy the show!
John J. Polk is very happy to be back on stage at Blank Canvas Theatre, and THRILLED to be able to re-visit Herr Schultz. BCT audiences might have seen him in Kiss Of The Spider Woman (the Warden), Side Show (Sir), Urinetown: The Musical (Cladwell), and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (Dale Harding). He’s brought a parade of authority figures, blowhards, villains, and foils to other Northeast Ohio theaters in productions including Little Shop Of Horrors (Mushnik) and The Drowsy Chaperone (Feldzieg) at French Creek Theater; Lend Me A Tenor (Saunders), The Exonerated (Ensemble 1), and My Favorite Year (King Kaiser) at Beck Center; and Little Women (Mr. Laurence), Inherit The Wind (The Judge), and The Winter’s Tale (Old Shepherd) with the Oberlin Summer Theatre Festival. Many, many thanks to director, cast, and crew, and a special thanks to My Charming Wife, Laura: “For you wake one day,/ Turn around and say/ Somebody wonderful married me.”
Devon Turchan (Emcee) is currently based in New York City, and is honored to return to Cleveland and Blank Canvas Theatre to remount this role from the exciting 2016 production. Devon’s New York credits include Sleepy Hollow (Ichabod Crane), A Christmas Carol (Bob Cratchit), and Murder on the Links (Hercule Poirot) at The Players Theatre. Cleveland theatre credits include Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Hedwig) and Cabaret (Emcee) at BCT; Mary Poppins (Bert), Show Boat (Gaylord Ravenal), and Hair (Claude) at Near West Theatre; The Secret Adversary (Tommy), a Great Lakes Theatre educational tour; and various works with Talespinner Children's Theatre. Devon graduated from The E. W. Scripps school of journalism at Ohio University and has worked as a newspaper journalist, a marketing director and a grant writer in addition to directing and teaching theatre.
David Turner (Bobby) is overwhelmed and can’t believe he gets a chance to remount Cabaret at Blank Canvas Theatre! Past theatrical credits include How To Succeed in Business... (J. Pierrepont Finch), Disney’s Newsies(Davey), Avenue Q (Bad Idea Bear), Cannibal! the Musical (Israel Swan), Chicago (Ensemble), A Chorus Line (Mike), Cabaret (Bobby), Rock of Ages (Franz Kleinman), The Wedding Singer (Robbie Hart), The Producers (Leo Bloom), Bonnie & Clyde (Buck Barrow), A Funny Thing Happened... (Hero), and Hair (Tribe/Margaret Mead). Many thanks to Pat and this cast for creating a safe space to make art and retell this beautiful story. Special thanks to my family and friends for their support and especially to my husband for all his love!
Mark Vandevender (Hans Kit Kat Boy) is extremely excited to be back at Blank Canvas Theatre! He has missed the theater and is thrilled to be with this talented cast and crew. He has been seen on stage in The Rocky Horror Show (Rocky), Heathers: The Musical (Kurt), and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Joseph). He would like to thank his family for supporting him, and his sports teams for being understanding of the time! He hopes you enjoy the show!
Casey Venema (Fräulein Kost/Fritzie) is a freelance performer, director, and intimacy choreographer focused on bringing unheard and experimental narratives to the stage. She is also the Resident Intimacy Choreographer for Dobama Theatre, the Co-Artistic and Executive Director of Nightbloom Theatre Co, and mother to a Rubenesque black cat named Pippa. Recent performance credits include Twelfth Night (Sebastian), The Rocky Horror Show (Janet), Sanzaru (Morgan), and When Push Comes to Shove (Hanka). You can next see her onstage as Cordelia in The Access Theatre Project's production of Falsettos and as Miss Barley in Chagrin Valley Little Theatre's production of A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder. Follow along with Casey's artistic adventures at www.caseyvenema.com or on Instagram @caseyvenem8.
Hannah Woodside (Frenchie) is thrilled to be a part of her first show with Blank Canvas Theatre. Her recent credits include Macbeth (Witch), People, Places, & Things (Charlotte), Effective Magic (Filly), Young Frankenstein (Ensemble), and Troilus and Cressida (Cressida). She is a recent graduate of Ohio University’s B.F.A. Acting program. For more, check out her website hannahwoodside.com, or follow her on Instagram @hannahewoodside. Love you, Mom, Dad, Bee, and Adam!
Patrick Ciamacco (Director/ Lighting and Set Design) is so excited to revisit this show after six years! Patrick is the Artistic Director and founder of Blank Canvas Theatre. This has been a rough year and a half… but he is so very excited to be back at BCT and to be working with the people he loves.
Kate Leigh Michalski (Stage Manager) is delighted to be a part of this production, on the other side of the stage. She has been seen onstage here at Blank Canvas Theatre in The Texas Chainsaw Musical! (Lucretia), Evil Dead - The Musical (Cheryl), Reefer Madness (Mae), Triassic Parq: The Musical (T-Rex 1), Hair (Tribe), and Jekyll & Hyde : In Concert (Lucy); at French Creek Theatre in She Loves Me (Amalia Balish) and Parade (Lucille Frank); at Cain Park in Ragtime (Emma Goldman) and The Toxic Avenger (Mayor/Ma). Thank you to Patrick for letting me close out 2021 with this beautiful show! Love you, Mom! Love you, Dad.
Luke Scattergood (Costume Design) has worked on the Blank Canvas Theatre stage over these past ten years as an actor, costumer, stage manager, assistant director, and more. He would like to thank Patrick for the opportunity to create and grow in such an inspiring atmosphere. Thanks to his wife, Laura, and kids Lucy, Levi, and Lincoln for their love and support. Enjoy the show!
Anthony Trifiletti (Music Director) is thrilled to once again be working with the wonderful team at Blank Canvas Theatre. Anthony has held positions at BCT, French Creek Theatre, The Lorain Palace Theatre, TrueNorth Cultural Arts, Sandstone Summer Theatre, Amherst Workshop Players, Lorain Community Music Theatre, The Human Race Theatre Company, Dayton Opera, Dayton Philharmonic Youth Strings, and numerous other venues. Anthony is currently serving on the Board of Directors for TrueNorth Cultural Arts. He is a 2014 graduate of the University of Dayton with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance. While at UD, Anthony was the recipient of the Award for Outstanding Collaborative Pianist and performed at the American Choral Director's Association National Convention. Besides working in theatrical and other performance related settings, Anthony is an active church musician, having served at several parishes throughout the state. He is currently the Director of Music and Liturgy at St. Peter Parish in Lorain.