LA TI DO Productions (LTD) will conclude its 10th year of cabarets and more on December 19, 2022, at Union Stage with a hybrid in-person and virtual show and celebration. At the event, announcements of its 2023 season in all cities — including the revelation of a new seventh city — will occur.
Since 2012, LA TI DO has produced over 350 shows, presented hundreds of artists, and collaborated with companies including Broadway veterans, Helen Hayes Award honorees, internationally recognized spoken word artists, and the national touring casts of The Sound of Music, The King and I, Miss Saigon, and The Band’s Visit.
The anniversary event will be an in-person gathering with a streaming component to be inclusive of anyone who cannot attend and alumni and fans who do not reside in Washington, DC. Tickets for in-person and virtual attendance are now on sale.
GUEST & PERFORMER BIOS:
Tẹmídayọ Amay (Singer) – Tẹmídayọ Amay (they/them) is thrilled to be celebrating the holidays with LA TI DO! OFF-BROADWAY: Classic Stage Company; MCC Theater; Classical Theatre of Harlem. NEW YORK: La MaMa ETC; Clubbed Thumb. CABARET: Capital Pride at City Winery: “Music in the Night”; Joe’s Pub: “Queering the Canon: Sondheim.” DC AREA: Round House Theatre: School Girls: or, the African Mean Girls Play (Helen Hayes Award, Outstanding Supporting Performer); Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company: Describe the Night; Signature Theatre: The Color Purple; Shakespeare Theatre Company: Will on the Hill; Longacre Lea: The Interstellar Ghost Hour (Helen Hayes Award nomination, Outstanding Supporting Performer). OTHER: MTF Musicals: Director and Facilitator; Black Artist Coalition: Founder; PILOT: Executive Producer; Tempo: Founding Board Member.
Regina Aquino (Singer) – Regina Aquino (She/Her) is a DMV native Filipinx artist and activist. Nominated for multiple Helen Hayes Awards over 19 years, she was the first Filipino to have earned a Helen Hayes award for Outstanding Lead Performer in 2019. One of Washingtonian Magazine’s “10 Biggest Theater Stars DC,” she advocates for equity in the industry and was co-chair of the theatreWashington 2021 Summit on anti-oppression. Selected DC credits include Holiday (Arena Stage), The Events (Theater Alliance), We’re Gonna Die (Round House Theatre), Vietgone, Red Light Winter (Studio Theatre), Describe the Night, The Arsonists (Woolly Mammoth), The Merry Wives of Windsor, Nell Gwynn (Folger Theatre), Tiger Style! (Olney), Birds of North America, Eureka Day (Mosaic Theatre). Off-Broadway: Where Words Once Were (Lincoln Center & Kennedy Center TYA). She’s starring as a Filipino mother in the upcoming world premiere musical, The Mortification of Fovea Munson at the Kennedy Center in March ’23. For Riana and Mal, always.
Frank Britton (Guest Host) – Frank Britton (he/him/his) is thrilled to be returning to LA TI DO after numerous times in years past as both a guest co-host and patron. A native of Washington DC and 20-year veteran of the DC and regional theatre scene, his local credits include productions at Arena Stage, Round House Theatre, Studio Theatre, Washington Stage Guild, Avant Bard Theatre (Acting Company Member), Rorschach Theatre (Company Member), 1st Stage, NextStop Theatre Company, Theater Alliance, SCENA Theatre, and regional credits include productions with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Firehouse Theatre (Richmond, VA), Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, Virginia Shakespeare Festival, Burning Coal Theatre Co. (Raleigh, NC), and off-off-Broadway at La MaMa ETC (NYC). In 2018, he earned the Helen Hayes Award (The Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play—Helen Production) for his performance in Stephen Adly Guirgis’s JESUS HOPPED THE ‘A’ TRAIN with 1st Stage in Tysons, VA.
Eymard Cabling (Singer) – Eymard Cabling, born and raised in Gaithersburg, Maryland, has been gallivanting around with various productions of Miss Saigon and The King and I. Credits include: Larry: The Musical, On This Side of the World, Gold Mountain, Allegiance, Mary Poppins, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Spelling Bee, Me…Jane, Once on This Island, Starlight Express, She Loves Me, Honor, and Broadway Barkada. He’s finally glad to be home for the holidays with his wife, Veronica Cabling and brother, Eric Cabling.
Josh Cleveland (Music Director) – A native of Broadview Heights, Ohio, Josh is a teacher and performing arts director at Oneness-Family Montessori School in Chevy Chase, MD. He’s a theater person at heart, currently serving as assistant music director for The Arlington Players’ Beauty and the Beast. He made his music directorial debut this past summer with Soul Redeemer, an original show produced by LA TI DO Productions for the Capital Fringe Festival. Previously, he was a rehearsal pianist and choir member for The Arlington Players’ The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and has performed onstage in community theater productions of Curtains, Urinetown, and South Pacific.
Lawrence O. Grey, Jr. (Associate Artistic Director – Northern Virginia) – Larry Grey is an award-winning actor from the Washington DC area. He is Associate Artistic Director for LA TI DO DC/NoVA. As a vocalist, he has performed in the Greater Washington Area with the Alexandria Singers, and many times for LA TI DO in DC, New York, and Pittsburgh, along with several years in the Midwest region of Missouri. As an actor, he has performed both in film and on stage, with various theater companies in the Northern VA area.
Danielle Harrow (Singer) – Danielle Harrow is thrilled to be here celebrating with the LA TI DO – DC family! Danielle performs throughout New York City and the DMV. She was the 2017 Capital Pride Idol winner. Some of her previous theatrical credits include Bare (Sister Chantelle), Jekyll & Hyde (Lady Beaconsfield), Hairspray (Motormouth Maybelle), A New Brain (Lisa/Homeless Woman), Beehive: The Musical (Ensemble) Rocky Horror (Magenta), The Goodies (Ensemble), Spring Awakening (Martha), and The Wild Party (Madeline True).
Cory Hibbetts (Singer) – Originally from Hatteras Island, North Carolina, Cory has lived in the DC area since 2007, working at the University of Maryland. A member of the Outstanding Voices of DC Cabaret group, Cory has performed in several variety shows and has performed at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Club for the Edith P. Wright Breast Cancer Foundation. In addition to singing as much as he can, Cory is also an accomplished pianist. You can find him almost any Wednesday night at Shaw’s Tavern Piano Bar with the talented Jill Parsons. Having been both a featured performer and a back-up singer in LA TI DO and Capital Pride’s “Music in the Night” and LA TI DO’s 10th Anniversary concerts, Cory is excited to celebrate and begrudge the holidays with you all!
Lindsay Hopper (Associate Artistic Director – Los Angeles) – Lindsay Hopper is a producer, actor, singer and teacher based in Los Angeles. Hailing from Washington, D.C., Lindsay attended school for musical theater at The Catholic University. After graduating with a Bachelor of Music, she moved across the country to Los Angeles to pursue dreams of filmmaking and acting on film, and is now a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and AEA. She has been featured in numerous short films, features, commercials and stage productions, including executive producing/music directing and performing in Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins. Her production company, MiddleClass Aftermath (MCA), is a female-run company known for its comedy content that uses art to expose the realities dealing with the fallout of the middle class, and the various ways it shapes the people who are affected by it. She is currently writing a pilot for a new series, producing 2 projects which are in development, and serves as the associate artistic director for the Los Angeles branch of LA TI DO, a bicoastal spoken word and music cabaret. In addition, Lindsay serves as the operations director, where she is also a teacher, for “Films for Teens by Teens” where we mentor kids ages 12-18 to use filmmaking as a form of expression and empowerment.
Natale E. Ilum (Poet) – Natalie E. Illum is a poet, disability activist and singer living in Washington, D.C. She is the recipient of 5 Poetry Fellowship grants from the D.C. Arts Commission, a former Jenny McKean Moore Fellow and a Pushcart and Best of the Net Nominee. Natalie is also a singer-songwriter of the band All Her Muses, whose first album, “Not speaking in metaphor,” was released in May 2022. She loves whiskey, plants and giraffes.
Rachel Hurley Levitin (Marketing Manager) – Growing up in the city of Chicago, she didn’t initially aspire to be a pop-rock recording artist, but an eclectic love of jazz, early aughts radio hits, and expressive ambition led Rachel Levitin to pick up her first guitar as a tween. As the ordinary and extraordinary traumas of early adulthood crashed down, Levitin channeled her grief, optimism, and growth into her lyrics. A move to DC in 2005 introduced her to the Washington-area music scene, where she quickly established a reputation for herself as a confident performer and a stalwart supporter of her peers. Her debut EP, “Nearly Broken” was released in 2015 and was followed by a string of singles, including 2021’s “Off My Mind”, which showcased Levitin’s ability to write an unforgettable hook. In an age when wispy cynicism is en vogue, Levitin’s earnest, raw lyricism sets her apart from the crowd. Her music combines the endorphin rushes of early aughts hits with the emotional availability of a healed woman.
As the pandemic brought live music to a grinding halt in 2020, Levitin channeled her creative energies into music production and began shining a light on gender inequity in the music industry. Together with a team of talented DC creatives, she is currently self-producing her debut LP, due out in 2023.
Tiffany Lyn (Associate Artistic Director – Washington, DC) – Tiffany Lyn Royster (She/They) is a singer, actor, and activist in the Washington D.C. area. Ministering through song and performance art, Tiffany Lyn advocates for human rights and LGBTQ+ rights with Capital Pride Alliance where she is the Events & Partnership Manager for the organization. Tiffany sits on the Global Advisory Council for International organization, InterPride and United States Association of Prides where she sits as a District Vice President. She has performed in many shows and cabarets at places such as The Kennedy Center, Hamilton Live!, Anacostia Arts Center, City Winery; more recently Olney Theatre Center in World Premiere Musical “A.D. 16” and has credit as a backup vocalist for Michael Bublé.
Alex Manalo (Associate Artistic Director – Pittsburgh) – Alex started her theater journey at 10 years old in her first summer camp at the Pittsburgh CLO Academy. From there, her love for all things theater grew and she found herself in almost all of the CLO programs that they provide. Alex continued her education at Point Park and graduated with a BA in Theater. She has performed with several theater companies throughout the Pittsburgh area, including Pittsburgh CLO, Carrnivale Theatrics, No Name Players, Pittsburgh Playhouse, City Theatre, RealTime Interventions, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Front Porch Theatricals, MTAP, and Arcade Comedy Theater. Favorite credits include Bubbleboy (Chloe), A Musical Christmas Carol (Fan/Alice), South Pacific (Liat), and Abduction (Zoey). When she’s not performing, she’s teaching and choreographing for numerous high school or community musicals around the region. She is a member of the Filipino American Association of Pittsburgh and takes pride in her culture. She hopes to integrate her heritage and spread awareness of more diversity and Asian-produced work in Pittsburgh. Thanks to Don Mike, the LA TI DO crew, and family friends who came out to support! Mabuhay!
Don Michael Mendoza (Executive Artistic Director) – Don Michael “Don Mike” Mendoza is an independent marketing professional serving as the first Director of Marketing & Media for the Filipino American Symphony Orchestra in Los Angeles, California. Concurrently, he is the Co-Founder and Executive Artistic Director of LA TI DO Productions where he’s collectively produced more than 400 cabarets, concerts, theatrical shows, and events throughout Washington, DC (Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre Company, The Kennedy Center), New York City (Dramatists Guild Foundation, Feinstein’s/54 Below, Bowery Poetry Club), Los Angeles, his hometown of Pittsburgh, and beyond, since 2012.
He recently played a supporting role in the independent film The Girl Who Left Home, The Musical Feature (October 2020) alongside Paolo Montalban (Whitney Houston’s Cinderella) where he also served as an Associate Producer. He is also the creator of his blog and host of the podcast of the same name: Producing While Asian, and is the co-host of Kabayan New York on The Global Filipino Network.
Don Michael is a graduate of The Winchester Thurston School in Pittsburgh, PA, holds a B.A. in Musical Theatre & Journalism and an M.A. in Strategic Communication from American University, and is an alumnus of the Commercial Theater Institute in New York City. He currently sits on the American University Alumni Board and serves on the Board of Directors for The Filipino American Association of Pittsburgh.
Matthew Ratz (Singer) – Matthew Ratz’s career began in the high school classroom, and it grew from there into the worlds of Higher Education, autism and intellectual/ developmental disabilities, nonprofit management, organizational change, mental health peer support, disability advocacy, and healthcare innovation. At every step, he centered on the needs of underrepresented populations and he used his creativity and strategies of immersive engagement to empower them to change their worlds for the better. Matthew believes the world is a better place when people’s voices are heard, and he is keen to use his voice to amplify the stories of others. Using his experience, his learning, and his ethos for the pursuit of inclusion and equity for all people is his natural way of being in the world.
Katy Risotto (Singer) – Katy, a native of Northern Virginia, is thrilled to be returning to the LA TI DO stage, especially for this extremely special show in her hometown. Katy relocated to Pittsburgh PA in July 2020. She is an experienced musical theatre performer as well as an accomplished director and choreographer and has been involved in over 40 productions throughout her career. Her most notable credits include Julia Sullivan in The Wedding Singer, Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray, Ilse in Spring Awakening, Myra Bruhl in Deathtrap (Nominated for a Broadway World Award for Best Actress), and Daphne in The Very Last Days of The First Colored Circus (Helen Hayes Awards Recommended Production). Katy holds her Bachelor’s in Theater Education from George Mason University and teaches acting at Mon River Arts in Elizabeth, PA. Much love to her partner and friends for all of their unending support!
Michael Santos Sandoval (Director of Videography) – Michael Santos Sandoval is the Director of Videography at LA TI DO in DC. Past performances include Sweeney Todd (ARTFactory), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (CFTC), Beauty and the Beast (The Arlington Players), In the Company of de Sade (King’s Players), The Secret Garden and Les Misérables (The Theatre Lab).
SNRG (Performers) – Alternative hip hop duo S.N.R.G. has been bringing their unique style of rap to audiences around the world from their parents’ native Philippines to their home in Virginia. Three albums in, the brothers, L.A.STone and eyespk are still finding ways to innovate their genre. The duo’s songs are distinguished by melodic rhymes, clever wordplay, and soulful beats. S.N.R.G. stands for Some Never Really Get. An open-ended statement, the phrase resonates with their fans as a message of understanding. S.N.R.G.’s mission is to create community through their music.
About LA TI DO Productions:
Curated and hosted by Don Michael Mendoza and Regie Cabico, LA TI DO made its debut to a full house in Washington, DC on January 23, 2012 at The Black Fox Lounge in Dupont Circle. Since then, LA TI DO became DC’s premiere musical theatre cabaret and spoken word series to serve the artistic community.
As of 2022, LA TI DO is a part of its new parent company DMH Mendoza Productions, LLC. On June 9, 2013, the show opened a touring chapter in New York City, made a special appearance at Feinstein’s/54 Below in 2015, and continued to present cabarets on a bi-monthly basis. In 2017, LA TI DO then became LA TI DO Productions and on March 12, 2018, LA TI DO made its west coast premiere at The Three Clubs in Los Angeles. Soon after, the company officially launched its newest chapter in Pittsburgh, PA virtually on June 8, 2020, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. In 2022, LA TI DO launched in Northern Virginia on April 6, 2022, and launched in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas on July 13, 2022.
Past musical performers range from Broadway veterans and Helen Hayes Award honorees to internationally recognized spoken word artists including the national touring casts of The Sound of Music, The King and I, Miss Saigon, and The Band’s Visit.
