Cab-a-ret (noun) – entertainment held in a nightclub or restaurant while the audience eats or drinks at tables.
The Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Metro Washington, DC (PACC-DC)
presents
LIFE IS A CABARET
a charitable fundraiser to benefit disadvantaged children
Arnaldo! Drag Chanteuse, featured artist
Bob Bruneau, musical director
Diwa de Leon and Katrina Manabat, musical artists
Elena Faye, dancer
Christian Escoto, comedian
With special host, Jared Gillett aka Puting Pinoy
Saturday, August 10, 2019
The State Theatre
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Show starts at 8:30 p.m.
Please contact the State Theatre for dinner seating.
TICKETS
$35 until August 10th
$45 at the door
About the Performers
Arnaldo! Drag Chanteuse started as a soloist with the Seattle Men’s Chorus (SMC) and has performed with SMC in some of the major concert halls in the US, Europe, New Zealand and Australia. In 1995, Arnaldo! started a group called Cabaret Q in Seattle where the “drag chanteuse” persona began and has since brought his cabaret shows to Portland, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Puerto Vallarta, New York and Manila. Arnaldo! received a New York Backstage Bistro Award for Outstanding Characterization, an award for Most Innovative Concert Artist in Manila by Gawad Musika, and recognition by The Filipino Community of Seattle with a Lifetime Achievement Award for promoting culture and the arts. www.dragchanteuse.com
Bob Bruneau (Musical Director) started his musical career during his university years in Portland, Oregon where he directed a church choir as well as a grade school band program, and played at night in various music combos. After college, Bob joined the US Air Force Band of the Northwest in 1967, playing various instruments. After his military service, he helped organize a show band called A New Day. One of their first engagements was in Acapulco, Mexico where he fell in love with this incredible country. His band continued to play through the 70’s, traveling across the US and Canada and finally settling in Seattle where the band continued to play until 1983. Although switching careers to real estate, Bob continued his piano playing and in 1998, created a cabaret show with Arnaldo! Drag Chanteuse. Bob found his retirement home and made his permanent move to Puerto Vallarta’s Old Town in 2004. In 2012 he co-founded the Puerto Vallarta Men’s Chorus and was its first artistic director. He has played all the showrooms in Vallarta with various shows and artists. He has been married to his life partner, Gerardo Lugo, since 2014.
Robert S. Friedensen was born in Long Island, N.Y., raised in North Carolina and settled in Virginia. Inspired by the music of the ‘60s and two professional jazz bassist uncles (who remembered Frank Sinatra as a singing waiter), Robert spent his teen years playing guitar with a successful North Carolina rock band called, The Shadows of Thyme. A long-time lover of jazz, he began playing bass after inheriting one uncle’s upright bass. Today, Robert plays electric and upright bass for an array of bands throughout the region and is often asked to sit in with others. His musical styles range from blues, R&B and rock and roll to jazz, swing and all points in between. Also a cabinetmaker who specializes in restoring and refinishing antique furniture, Robert currently resides in Bluemont, Va.
Diwa de Leon is a multi-awarded composer, arranger, international performer, ethnic instrumentalist, violinist, sound designer, recording artist, music producer, and all-around musician. Diwa is well-known for his work in Philippine films, TV and stage productions.
Follow him on social media @diwadeleon.
Katrina Manabat, a native of Ellicott City, MD, is a talented 17-year old songstress who began singing at the age of 4 and was playing piano at 7 years old. She recently graduated from Archbishop Spalding High School as a music scholar where she appeared on stage with various musical groups, as a piano accompanist and over-all musical thespian. Her vocal prowess has made her a popular choice for guest appearances in the local entertainment scene.
Follow her on YouTube at @KatrinaManabat.
Elena Faye is an award-winning performer and teacher based in the D.C. metropolitan area. Born into a family of dancers, painters, and musicians, she first began belly dancing at the age of 14. After earning her degree in Middle Eastern Language & Culture with a Minor in Dance at Columbia University's Barnard College, where she served as President of the Columbia University Bellydance Troupe for three years, Elena returned to D.C. and began teaching at Saffron Dance, where she now holds the role of Artistic Director.
In addition to belly dance, Elena studied Irish Step dance for 7 years, and has exploredBallet, Flamenco, Garba/raas, Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Persian dance, Central Asian dances, Modern, and, most recently, Bachata & Salsa.
Justin Eller is a D.C.-based musician with a unique musical background. He attended the prestigious Shenandoah Conservatory at Shenandoah University where he studied classical bass clarinet, music therapy, and psychology. He spent 5 years as a vocalist. saxophonist, clarinetist, and drum major in the US First Cavalry Division Band. With a machine gun strapped to himself 24/7, he toured Iraq playing and singing any kind of music that helped his fellow soldiers forget about their daily struggles and bring normalcy of home, if only for a few beautiful musical moments.
Justin has played all over the world and has had the pleasure (and the luck) to be in the right place at the right time to play or sing with the likes of; BB King, Phish, Eric Clapton, The Gully Boys, John Rutter, Toby Keith, Je'Four, Midnight Swim, The Jack Dunlap Band, and many others.
Christian Escoto was Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Christian Escoto began performing comedy after his high school graduation. Since then, he regularly performs around the DC area and the Baltimore region. Using his quick wit and stage persona, Christian entertains the audience with jokes and stories about growing up in DC area as a Filipino-American. He has performed multiple times at the DC Drafthouse Comedy Theater, the DC Improv, the Howard Theater, the State Theater, the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse, the Lisner Auditorium and has opened for the national touring improv troupe the Groundlings and for Filipino comedians Rex Navarette and JR De Guzman.
Website: christianescoto.com
Puting Pinoy a.k.a. Jared Gillett, is a Tagalog-speaking YouTuber who was born in Orem, Utah into a typical military family, moving from state to state and lived in 9 states by the age of 12. In 2008, at age 19, he moved on his own to the Philippines having no prior knowledge of the Tagalog (Filipino) language and lived in Bataan, Pangasinan and Zambales until 2010. He taught himself to speak and write Tagalog with high proficiency, with the help of books and the locals of the respective provinces he lived in. The name “Puting Pinoy” was created with help from his supporters after he had made a viral response video defending Filipinos against racism—because he’s a “puti na may pusong Pinoy” (a white person with a Filipino heart). You can follow him on YouTube and social media at @putingpinoy.
