WTF Cabaret

JOEL WAGGONER Broadway performer, Singer/Songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Iowa and NYC. Broadway credits: School of Rock, Be More Chill. Off-Broadway: A Man of No Importance (CSC), Southern Comfort (Public Theater), The Joel Waggoner Experience (Joe’s Pub). TV: Only Murders in the Building S3. Joel Piano, Violin, Guitar, Accordion, Vocals. He is Queer and writes about it. Debut Single: “Unlikely Warrior” With band Miss Natalie, “Gorgine” and “Get Into It…Queen”. “Stable Girl” with Julia Mattison. All available on music platforms. Vocal arranging: Randy Rainbow, Joe Iconis’ Album, Broadway Bounty Hunter Cast Album. Breakout Instagram series ADVENT CAROLNDAR with Julia Mattison featured on NPR and Jimmy Kimmel Live! Insta: @joelwaggoner @adventcarolndar @joelcappella TikTok: @unlikelywarrior. www.joelwaggoner.com.

Christopher Fitzgerald has spent 14 seasons with the Williamstown Theater Festival (MA), beginning as an apprentice in 1993. In 2010, he starred in an all-male version of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, directed by his wife, Jessica Stone. In the summer of 2023 he curated the Cabaret series. Favorite productions include June Moon, Where’s Charley, and Dead End among many others. Most recently he starred in the Broadway revivals of Spamalot and Company. He earned a Tony nomination and won the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards for his previous Broadway role as Ogie in Waitress. He was Tony-nominated for prior roles in Young Frankenstein and Finian’s Rainbow, for which he received a Drama Desk Award. His other Broadway credits include originating the role of Boq in Wicked; An Act of God; The Merchant of Venice opposite Al Pacino; Amour (Drama Desk nomination); and Chicago. Off-Broadway and regional credits include the US premiere of Stephen Sondheim’s Saturday Night at Second Stage (Drama Desk nomination); the American premiere of Martin McDonagh's The Cripple of Inishmaan at the Public; the renowned Steppenwolf production of McDonagh's The Beauty Queen of Leenane; the US debut of Frank McGuinness' Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme at Lincoln Center; the title role in Barnum at the Chichester Festival Theatre (UK) and His film credits include Girl Most Likely opposite Kristen Wiig and Annette Bening. He was a series regular on SyFy’s Happy!, DirecTV’s Almost There, and WB's Twins. He most recently recurred on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and on Netflix in Godless. 

Stephanie Layton is a musician and graphic designer who splits her time between the Pacific Northwest and NYC. As a singer she fronts jazz band Eden Lane and has appeared at mainstays such as Joe’s Pub, the Rainbow Room, and Carnegie Hall (technically; it was a very fancy bat mitzvah gig) in addition to a potpourri of random engagements like Macallan Scotch’s pop-up speakeasy (Third Rail Projects), Charlotte Tilbury’s “Hollywood Collection” makeup launch, and Etsy’s company Halloween bash. She has served as an audition/rehearsal accompanist for countless Broadway, tour, and regional productions, spent a number of years as a vocal coach at Pace University, and enjoys consistent work as a hired gun drummer/pianist/vocalist at bar gigs and in pit orchestras. When not making music Steph is at the helm of Red Scandal Graphics designing music packaging for Warner Music Group and marketing materials for a myriad of small businesses. Love to husband Steve!

Meg Toohey has co-written with some of the greatest living songwriters (Sara Bareilles and Lori Mckenna). Her songs have been featured on countless TV shows and films. Toohey helped orchestrate “Waitress The Musical” (Broadway) and “Wild About You” (West End, 2024). She produced the star-studded all-female “Jesus Christ Superstar” with Shoshana Bean, Cynthia Erivo and Ledisi. Meg has performed with Brandy Clark, Jason Mraz, Laura Benanti, Rubben Studdard, Clay Aiken, Gavin Creel, and Keala Settle.

Allison is thrilled to return to the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Favorite productions include: The Other Josh Cohen (Director Hunter Foster), American Idiot, Moonshine and Mistletoe (Director DJ Salisbury), Airness (Human Race Theatre), and multiple productions of Ring of Fire and Almost Heaven: John Denver’sAmerica. NY Workshops: Little Orphan Danny (New York Stage and Film), The Hello Girls. TV: The Helpsters (Apple TV+), The 75th Annual Tony Awards, The 4th of July Capitol Concerts (PBS). Allison creates and produces concerts including “Americana Women: Celebrating the Icons of Country and Folk Music”, “Americana Christmas" and “Because You’re Mine: an evening with the Great Loves and Love Songs of Country Music.” In addition to performing, Allison has served as Assistant Music Coordinator for the Tony Awards, Music Director for the Roxy Regional Theatre and as a sound designer for the Ensemble Theatre Company in New York City. Her original music can be found on all streaming services.

Jordan Carlos most recently starred alongside Phoebe Robinson in the Freeform series EVERYTHING'S TRASH, which he also served as a writer/producer. Jordan also hosts AMC's documentary series CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS? where he and his guests discuss and recontextualize problematic elements of classic films. Previously, he served as the head writer of CBSTV’s THE DREW BARRYMORE SHOW. Jordan was a fixture on Comedy Central's THE NIGHTLY SHOW WITH LARRY WILMORE, serving throughout the series as writer, correspondent and on-air panelist. He served as a story editor on HBO’s DIVORCE starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Thomas Hayden-Church. Additionally, he staffed and starred on season two of Tracey Oliver’s FIRST WIVES CLUB for BET and consulted on season one. 

Jordan starred in the indie feature POOLING TO PARADISE opposite Dreama Walker and directed by Roxy Shih. He also starred on the MTV series I JUST WANT MY PANTS BACK. His other TV credits include guest starring roles in Netflix’s FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE, Showtime’s THE AFFAIR, Comedy Central’s BROAD CITY, HBO’s GIRLS and Showtime's NURSE JACKIE. On the feature side Jordan can most recently be seen in HOME SWEET HOME ALONE opposite Ellie Kemper and Rob Delaney, as well as THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES from director Noah Baumbach and alongside Jenny Slate and Jay Duplass in LANDLINE. He’s appeared in various other features, most notably SLEEPING WITH OTHER PEOPLE from director Leslye Headland and ABOUT RAY opposite Naomi Watts. 

EDDIE COOPER: WTF debut. Broadway: Parade, Audible Theatre: Dead Outlaw, Encores! Off Center: Titanic, Parade, Promenade, Assassins, God Bless You Mr. Rosewater, Little Shop of Horrors. Classic Stage Company: I Can Get It For Your Wholesale, Assassins, The Cradle Will Rock and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. Atlantic Theater Company: This Ain't No Disco. Carnegie Hall: Anyone Can Whistle. HBO: The Night Of. CINEMAX: Banshee. DISNEY+: Better Nate Than Ever. @MrEddieCooper

Broadway: Freestyle Love Supreme; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. Off-Broadway: The Connector (MCC Theater); The Beautiful Lady (La Mama); Morning//Mourning (HERE); Oratorio For Living Things (Ars Nova, Lortel Award); Freestyle Love Supreme (Ars Nova); In The Green (LCT3, Lortel Award nomination); The Lucky Ones (Ars Nova); Hadestown (NYTW); In Love With Jobim (York Theatre). Regional: Cowboy Bob (Alley Theatre); The Tattooed Lady (Philadelphia Theatre Company, Barrymore Award nomination), Life After (Goodman Theatre), A Crossing (Barrington Stage Company), Moby-Dick (A.R.T.), The Great Comet of 1812 (A.R.T.), Prometheus Bound (A.R.T.), Evita, West Side Story, The Sound of Music. Concerts: Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub, 54 Below. Film: The Kitchen.

Ari Notartomaso is thrilled to be returning to Williamstown as a core member of the Cabaret after performing as a guest last summer. Ari recently made their NY theatre debut with Encores' acclaimed production of Titanic. Television: “Cynthia” in Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. Film: Mean Girls The Musical, Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin. Theatre: Williamstown Theatre Festival Cabaret, Invincible (World Premiere).

Alysha Umphress is excited to be working at Williamstown for the first time! Her previous Broadway credits include On the Town, Bring It On!, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, and American Idiot. She was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for her work in Smokey Joe’s Café. Her regional and other New York theatre credits include work at MTC, Paper Mill, Barrington, and Ogunquit. Her television credits include Girls5Eva, Bonding (recurring), Royal Pains, Chicago Med, Blue Bloods, Law and Order: SVU, and Nurse Jackie. @alyshaumphress

Obie Award-winner for his work in the Pulitzer and TONY Award-winning musical A Strange Loop, most recently seen Off-Broadway in White Girl in Danger (Second Stage/The Vineyard Theatre) — album now available on iTunes and Spotify by Yellow Sound Label. Jackson’s cabaret work has made a home at popular New York venues Joe’s Pub, DROM, Duane Park, 54 Below, and The Green Room 42 with hit showsShady Sings The Blues, I Just Wanted To Wear This, and The Black-Ups (with co-creators LaDonna Burns & Elliot Roth). Recent sold out Juneteenth performances in Provincetown, where he’s regularly seen at The Provincetown Theatre, Post Office Cabaret, The Wilde, and Tin Pan Alley. Co-host of the Broadway-themed podcast 5 Questions with James and JAM with TONY nominee, John-Andrew Morrison. The duo have interviewed Broadway greats and beyond ~ Elizabeth Stanley, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Bonnie Milligan, BD Wong, and Ryan Reynolds.

Charlie Lovejoy (they/them) is a New York-based stage manager delighted to be at Williamstown for the first time. Select credits include Kimberly Akimbo (Atlantic Theater Company); Escaped Alone, The Brightest Thing in the World (Yale Repertory Theatre); Seagull (Elevator Repair Service); Rossini's Otello, Kiss Me Kate (Central City Opera); The Santaland Diaries, Incendiary, graveyard shift (Goodman Theatre); The Horrors, Alien Girls, BURNBABYBURN: an american dream (Yale Summer Cabaret); Moe's a D*ck, littleboy/littleman, Romeo and Juliet, and Bodas de sangre (David Geffen School of Drama). B.A., University of Chicago. M.F.A., David Geffen School of Drama at Yale

Alden Kennedy (she/they) is thrilled to be part of the WTF Cabaret! Broadway: The Heart of Rock and Roll, A Christmas Carol, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Off-Broadway: Stalker,  El Otro Oz. Regional: Barrington Stage Company 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons. Many thanks to Charlie and the team. Endless gratitude to their family. Much love to William.