Monthly After Dinner Cabaret at Columbia Music Festival Association Artspace

Mandy Applegate

MANDY APPLEGATE studied musical theatre at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC and performed professionally as a singer/dancer/showgirl and impersonator in casino shows, cruise ships, and theaters across the globe. She is also a working actor and makeup artist for movies, commercials, and industrials. You may remember Mandy from past roles in Columbia, such as Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd, Edith/Edie in Grey Gardens, Cathy in The Last Five Years, Ulla in The Producers, and Velma in Chicago. Mandy was a finalist for Jasper Theatre Artist of the Year in 2017. She has also served as choreographer for Columbia productions of Young Frankenstein, Grey Gardens, The Wedding Singer, Kinky Boots and others. By day, Mandy is an herbalist at The Healing Bar in West Columbia.

Lisa Akly

LISA AKLY is delighted to participate in the Monthly After Dinner Cabaret Series among this fantastic ensemble of artists. Originally from Gainesville, FL, Lisa moved to Columbia in June 2006 and felt instantly welcomed into this marvelous theatrical community. Her first two performances in Columbia were The Trip to Bountiful (Thelma) at Workshop Theatre of South Carolina and Mame (Agnes Gooch) at Town Theatre, which she holds near and dear to her heart. Most recent performances include We Need A Little Christmas Holiday Cabaret, A Fierce & Fabulous Cabaret: What’s Love Got to do With It? and The Fierce & Fabulous Cabaret: Celebrating the Women of Broadway, all at Workshop Theatre. Additional recent performances include One Life: Dogs the Musical (Sadie McLady) at The Arts Center of Kershaw County, Hello Dolly (Irene Molloy), and A Christmas Carol: The Musical (Mrs. Cratchit) at Town Theatre. Lisa is blessed by the constant support of her family, friends, and co-workers.

Marybeth Berry

Marybeth Berry was born in New Jersey and raised in Rhode Island. She minored in theater at Longwood College in Farmville where she performed in various mainstage productions. A high school drama teacher for 2 years in Orlando, where she produced and directed over 10 productions, she left to pursue her graduate degree at Actors Studio in New York City, where she worked Off-Broadway on Sam Shepard's newest play, God of Hell and Off-off Broadway on Stuart Vaughan's As You Like It. She received her MFA in Theatre at Rhode Island College and has performed with various regional, summer stock, and community groups, as well as some film/tv credits. Some roles include Maria in Maria's Pictures (US Premiere), Kate Keller in All My Sons, Ouiser in Steel Magnolias, Julie in Miss Julie, Mistress Hibbens in The Scarlet Letter, Polly in The Boyfriend, Fraulein Kost in Cabaret, Nan/Katie/Lou Ann in Quilters, Twirler in Talking With, Evelyn in The Children's Hour, Alice in Alice in Wonderland, Cesca in the Business of Passion (world premiere). Film/tv credits include Young Susie in Ghost Town, Christiana in Pilgrim's Progress, Flo in Samuel Beckett's Come and Go, Sarah in Gooseberry Island. In 2019, she made her Columbia debut as Donna in Town Theatre's Mamma Mia. She spent a few years as a youth faculty member at Town where she also directed Baskerville and Columbia's Best of 2022 Runner Up for Best Show for Bright Star. She was also nominated for Best Actress for her performance as Madam in Cinderella. Most recently she has toured the country with her musical show, On the Spectrum, about her son's diagnosis with Autism. From San Diego to Scranton to Italy and landing at Town Theatre, the show has been performed and received positive reviews. Marybeth is also an active director on both stage and screen. Among her many directorial film credits, a short film adaptation based on Samuel Beckett's Come and Go can be viewed on YouTube and was a finalist in the avante garde category at the 2008 Cape Fear Film Festival. She just finished premiering a staging of her new musical with Alex LeFevre at Coastal Carolina New Works Festival, where you may hear a song from tonight and heads to Ireland to begin revision to On the Spectrum and new work on another solo performance musical.

Kevin Bush

KEVIN BUSH is an actor and singer who has appeared in numerous guises on Columbia stages in the last 20 years. A member of the acting company at Trustus Theatre, notable appearances at the Vista theatre include roles in Bat Boy: The Musical, tick...tick...BOOM!, Rent, The Thing About Men, Avenue Q, [title of show], Assassins, Ragtime, The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical, Grey Gardens, Evil Dead: The Musical, Tail! Spin!, First Date, and Trustus Playwright’s Festival winners, Montgomery (2019) and Composure (2022). Kevin has been seen on other stages around town in such productions as Amadeus, The Producers, The Full Monty, and Beauty and the Beast, among others, and is often found behind the microphone singing at various venues, including performing as part of Columbia’s “Rat Pack.” By day, Kevin is the Marketing and Communications Director for the USC Dept. of Theatre and Dance.

Katrina Garvin

KATRINA GARVIN has shared the stage with Babyface, Vashawn Mitchell, Jason Nelson, Blanche McAllister, Tamela Mann, and many more. She also is an accomplished actor and composer, having written and produced the soundtrack for and acted in the nationally distributed stage play DVD “Yesterday is Still Gone”. She was most recently voted the 2021 Best of Columbia “Best Local Actress.” Katrina has played roles in several productions, including Billie Holiday in Lady Day Live at Emersons Bar & Grill, Hairspray, Ragtime, Deloris Van Cartier in Sister Act, and as Shug Avery in The Color Purple at some of South Carolina's most critically acclaimed theatres.

Kathy Hartzog

KATHY HARTZOG is a well-known Columbia actress, having appeared in numerous musicals and comedies at Workshop Theatre, Town Theatre, and Village Square Theatre in Lexington. She appeared as Mame at Village Square. At Workshop, she played Noleta in Sordid Lives and Mrs. Meers (for which she was awarded Best Supporting Actress by On Stage Columbia) in Thoroughly Modern Millie. Some of her memorable roles at Town Theater have included Bloody Mary in South Pacific, Aunt Eller in Oklahoma, Ouiser in Steel Magnolias, the chaperone in The Drowsy Chaperone, Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street, Daisy Werthen in Driving Miss Daisy, The Duchess in “Nice Work if You Can Get It”, Sue Ellen Smith Barney Fife in Honkey Tonk Angels, Dolly Levy in “Hello Dolly”, plus countless others. Her favorite role, however, has been Louise in Always…Patsy Cline, which not only has been presented at Town Theatre several times but has toured all over the state including Newberry Opera House, Bishopville Opera House, Dillon’s Performing Arts Center and Greenwood Theatre. A transplant from Montgomery, Alabama, Kathy appeared in over 30 productions with the Montgomery Little Theatre. Kathy is also an artist. She started painting in watercolors and oils 20 years ago under the guidance of renowned South Carolina artists, Michele McNinch and Anna Kaye Singley. She has been juried in the South Carolina State Fair art exhibit for several years and has won several Purchase Patron Awards. Some of her pieces are in private collections across the South.

Clayton King

CLAYTON KING has called Columbia home for more than a decade. Both a producer and performer, Clayton was nominated in the 2023 BroadwayWorld South Carolina Awards for Best Cabaret performance in The Monthly After Dinner Cabaret and was voted Best Actor in the Free-Times Best of Columbia 2021 who noted: “[Clayton is] a vocal powerhouse who can handle both comedic and dramatic roles with aplomb.” His first love is cabaret and intimate concerts, and he has performed at numerous local venues and stages across the Midlands, including Workshop Theatre, Town Theatre, Chapin Community Theatre, Trustus, and Village Square, including Sweeney Todd (Judge Turpin), Beauty and the Beast (Cogsworth), Bright Star (Mayor Dobbs), She Loves Me! (Mr. Maraczek); Shrek (Shrek), Into the Woods (Baker); Mamma Mia! (Harry Bright), Arsenic and Old Lace (Teddy), The Addams Family (Gomez), Catch Me If You Can (Frank Abignale, Sr.), and Guys & Dolls (Nathan Detroit). Most recently, he performed the role of Dr. Neville Craven in Broadway Bound Vista Theatre Project’s production of The Secret Garden. He has also been a guest artist at the Newberry Opera House. Before leaving Texas, Clayton appeared on stage in productions of Damn Yankees and Chicago at Galveston’s historic The Grand 1894 Opera House, A Fiddler on the Roof at Strand Street Theatre, and The Wind and the Willows at Houston’s Theatre Under the Stars. He has fond memories of performing at Texas Gulf Coast cabaret spots such as Baha Sams and the ineffably named Million Dollar Dump.

Sam McWhite

SAMUEL ELI McWHITE is from Florence, SC. He attended Claflin University South Carolina State University, majoring in Music Education. Samuel is a charter member of the Kappa Pi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Fraternity. He taught chorus at Clark Middle School in Orangeburg, SC for a year, and still coaches voice from time to time. As a board member, Samuel assists with the management of the JB Hunt Scholarship Fund. He has a Live Sound Certification from The Midlands Tech Audio Institute and is the owner of VibraSpect Sound and Lighting Company. Samuel has an extensive history of performing for rhythm bands and other productions. He has appeared as The Man in Regina Taylor’s Crowns, Walter in Hair: The American Tribal Love Rock Musical, W.E.B. Dubois in Charles Smith’s Knock Me a Kiss, Max in Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party, Stew in Passing Strange, Ken in Ain’t Misbehavin’, The Stereotype in The Black Man…Complex, Brooks, Sr. & Brooks Jr. in Grey Gardens, Reverend Charles Jaggers, The Professor, and Cowboy in Harlem South: A View Through the Lens, Bobby in Memphis the Musical, Dr. Frederick Chilton in Silence! The Musical, Evan in Lynn Nottage's Sweat, Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for the New World, Terrence McNally’s Ragtime: The Musical and Riff Raffin The Rocky Horror Show. He is a member of the Trustus Theater Company, The NIA Company, Indigo Soul, and The Exotics Band Foundation.

Jonathan Monk

JONATHAN MONK is a veteran performer with multiple roles. Trustus acting credits include Little Shop of Horrors, Dance Nation, First Date, Hand to God and Peter and the Starcatcher. Off-Broadway includes: Cam Jansen (Lamb’s Theatre), Junie B. Jones (Lucille Lortel Theatre), Max and Ruby (Lortel), Millicent Scowlworthy (The Beckett, Theatre Row). Off-Off Broadway includes: Forgetting to Remember (37th Samuel French OOB Play Festival winner), The Mystery of the Castle of the Monk of Falconara (The Monster Club), Like You Like It (NYMF, Theatre Row), The Red Box (Walkerspace/SoHo Rep). Regional credits include: History Boys (St. Louis Rep), Reality the Musical (Stamford CFA). Directing credits: Silence! the Musical (Trustus Mainstage), MilkMilkLemonade (Trustus Side Door), Puffs (Columbia Children's Theatre) and numerous shows at Heathwood Hall. Jonathan has been featured in national commercials for Pepsi, Kellogg's and Crest. In 2012, he developed a one-man clown show with Broadway vet Will Taylor, and has appeared at 54 Below, Don't Tell Mama & TADA! in NYC, the Grange Hall in Martha's Vineyard, the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, and Trustus Side Door & Indie Grits Puppet Slam in Columbia. BFA Musical Theatre '04, Carnegie Mellon University.

Sean Stephens

SEAN STEPHENS is a celebrated singer, actor, and songwriter. He recently played Jordan in Trustus Theatre’s premiere production of Dandelion: An Original Musical. Off-Broadway, he was seen in Camp Morning Wood during both the Playwrights Horizons and Asylum Theatre runs and has done countless readings and workshops. As a concert performer, he headlined his debut solo show at the world-renowned 54 Below with “Redemption of a 90s Kid”, which was critically acclaimed and featured his work as a songwriter. He has also been featured in evenings celebrating Elton John, Ke$ha, Dolly Parton, Howard Ashman and sung alongside two-time Tony nominee Shoshana Bean, Richard Maltby Jr., his personal hero Julia Murney, and many more. He is featured on Colin Donnell & Patti Murin’s debut album “Something Stupid” on Broadway Records. He is happy to return to Columbia for the first time in 13 years where he was seen at Trustus Theatre in Hair, Rent and Southern Baptist Sissies. He is the loving father to Dobby, an 11-year-old chihuahua.

Vicky Saye Van Horne

VICKY SAYE VAN HORNE lives a life in the arts as performer, educator, and wellness advocate. Her performance work projects include live stage theatre, film, TV, commercials, voice-overs, musical theatre, and cabaret. She has been in artistic relationship with many theatres across the Midlands since 2001. She is a Company Member Emeritus with Trustus Theatre and has served on staff as their Director of Education. Vicky is on the directory of Approved Teaching Artists with the South Carolina Arts Commission and provides arts residencies for schools K-12 & colleges. She teaches at Newberry College in the Department of Theatre & Speech and offers individual coaching and instruction. A certified yoga professional, she is on the Yoga & Tai Chi teaching team at The Big Red Barn Retreat to bring healing opportunities to active-duty and veteran military service members and first responders. Her business, Muse & Means, assists artists and other creative professionals with exploring the intersection between their wellbeing and ability to create. Vicky has a real love of cross-pollinating subjects that at first glance do not go together. She is called upon often to partner with businesses and organizations to design and facilitate interactive professional development and member enrichment opportunities using improv and theatre arts, yoga and mindfulness, and juggling.

Greg Boatright

GREG BOATWRIGHT began his musical career as a pianist for his church at age 12. After many musical achievements in middle school and high school, he completed the BM, MM, and DMA degrees at USC. Dr. Boatwright’s mentors include Max Camp, Arpad Darazs, and Dick Goodwin. He has been the recipient of numerous awards for performance and composition. Boatwright has been the music director for theatrical productions at USC, Heathwood Hall, Town Theatre, Workshop Theatre, Palmetto Center for the Arts, FBN Productions, and others. His compositions include numerous choral arrangements and solo songs, the opera, Goldilocks, the musical, Far Above Rubies, the song and dance work, Sistine Di Michelangelo, the musical, Mother Juice, and the upcoming musical, Mother Juice in China. Boatwright currently serves as director of music for Virginia Wingard Memorial United Methodist Church. He also serves as the collaborative pianist for USC Musical Theatre Concentration and will serve as Artistic Director for the Broad River Arts Center, scheduled to open in 2023.

David Fisher

DAVID FISHER played for his first musical at Workshop Theatre when he was in college and has been involved in the musical theatre scene in Columbia for over 45 years. He received his B.A. in Music Education from the University of South Carolina and has served as musical director/accompanist for Workshop Theatre, Town Theatre, Village Square Theatre in Lexington, and Chapin Community Theatre, as well as the drama departments of various local high schools. To date, David has over 40 shows in his repertoire. In addition to teaching 6th grade at St. John Neumann Catholic School in Northeast Columbia, he serves as organist, choir director and cantor for churches in the Columbia area. He is married to a beautiful soprano, Andrea, with whom he celebrated his 40th wedding anniversary in April. One of his favorite musical quotes is: “The Lord respects me when I work, but He loves me when I sing.”

Michael Simmons

MICHAEL SIMMONS has been the musical director for many shows, concerts, and other events. After graduating from USC with a Bachelor of Music degree, Michael made a living as an accompanist and pianist, playing throughout the Southeast. While in Nashville, he was musical director for an award-winning production of Damn Yankees at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Other community theater and professional shows in Nashville included Company, A Chorus Line, and Guys and Dolls. After Nashville, Michael moved to Atlanta and worked for the Aurora and Earl Strand Theaters. Since returning to Columbia, he has been the musical director for many area productions, including Workshop Theatre's production of She Loves Me, Town Theatre’s Always Patsy Cline and Bright Star, as well as numerous productions with the Vista Theater Project. As a composer, Michael has written for dance companies, SCETV, and musical theater. He is currently on staff as an instructor for the Columbia Music Festival Association and serves as musical director at Asbury Memorial UMC.