The Lake Braddock Theatre

06/06/2026

Stills from rehearsal at DAR Constitution Hall today. The cast members performing “I Don’t Care Much” spaced the gala version of the number (without our set and tables etc) and rehearsed with the Cappies Orchestra while the team producing the Gala worked to capture the essence of the original staging with lights.

We get to share this little slice of Cabaret with one more audience tomorrow night. Who is to celebrate this special production with our whole community?

06/05/2026

Tonight at 7!

Senior recital alert! It’s the season of goodbyes and one of our graduating seniors will give a full length recital this Friday evening at LBSS as part of that celebration of endings. Don’t miss Murphy Finnegan’s final night of music and dramatic material as a current LBT student.

06/05/2026

Another way that Cappies offers opportunities is through the Cappies Gala performing ensembles. Pictured below are Cast Members from Cabaret who will perform on Sunday at DAR Constitution Hall who saw one another at a rehearsal this evening! Sydney Treon (Frenchie in Cabaret and understudy to Emcee) will represent the LBT as our Spotlight Performer in the opening number in one of her Cabaret Costumes. Lilly Baldwin (Fraulein Schneider and a Section Leader for Cabaret) will perform with the Cappies Singers, and Holland Hasle (Lulu) and Ashley Kennedy (Texas) will perform with the Cappies Dancers- both are auditioned ensembles within the Gala itself.

Not pictured- LBT students Jared Brace, Willow Benner, and Avery Hunter will play in the Cappies Gala Orchestra.

We look forward to cheering all of them on Sunday!

Thanks for the 📸 goes to Lilly Baldwin.

06/04/2026

“I Don’t Care Much” had its final rehearsal at Lake Braddock today, complete with the LBT tradition of moving and resetting chairs. Off to dress rehearsal at DAR Constitution Hall this weekend! Thank you to these company artists for remaining diligent about cleaning and re spacing the number to have a quality performance this weekend.

06/04/2026

Nominated for Leading Actor in a Female Role is Murphy Finnegan for her stunning performance as Sally Bowles.

Murphy’s performance required a pristine British dialect, extensive highly stylized dancing and athletic endurance, witty fast paced comedy, a crushing dramatic acting turn to raw sorrow and boiling rage, and advanced vocal performance ranging from deep alto growls to high belts- fast paced patter to iconic ballads.

Musically she performed vocal solos alongside the Ensemble while dancing intensively in “Don’t Tell Mama” and “Mein Herr”, sang the comic duet “Perfectly Marvelous” (with Eddie Shrieves as Cliff), and gave masterful performances of the iconic ballad “Maybe This Time” and the titular “Cabaret”. She performed additional dance solo features during “Wilkommen” and the “Ent’racte” sequence while dancing with her ensemble mates, and joined the ensembles in “Kickline” and “Money”. Her role veered from the comic to the tragic, with fast pace and volatile emotion, all handled with deft skill.

This is Murphy’s third consecutive nomination at the Cappies in a Leading Actor Category- the prior two for Play in 2024’s Romeo and Juliet (Juliet) and 2025’s The Trojan Women (Andromache) for which she was also honored with that year’s Cappie Award. She was also a member of 2023’s award winning Ensemble in Dracula. Murphy was named this year’s Top Actor in the district at the VHSL One Act Competition and awarded the Top Actor designation at the Virginia Thespian Festival for her performance in The Notorious La Maupin (Julie D’Aubigny).

Murphy has served as a dance captain at the LBT for four musicals, including Cabaret, and consistently worked as an Understudy in addition to her own principal work. She is also a member of the Lake Braddock Symphonic Band and was Drum Major for the marching band this fall. She spent her summer last year at the Virginia Governor’s School for the Arts in the Acting Program. Murphy will pursue a BFA in Musical Theatre at the Conservatory for the Performing Arts at Viterbo Conservatory this fall.

We were all transfixed by her performance and so proud of her work. We are thrilled to see her acknowledged with this nomination. Congratulations!

06/04/2026

Nominated for Leading Actor in a Male Role is Junior Nathan Lee for his captivating performance as the Emcee.

Nathan’s performance required a wide range of vocal performance techniques and styles, a German dialect, improvisation and comic timing, and an emotional turn in the second act that anchored the final message of the production and its final images. He danced alongside his ensemble mates and performed featured solos out of their group numbers in “Wilkommen,” “Money,” and “Two Ladies,” along with virtuosic solo numbers “If You Could See Her” and “I Don’t Care Much.”

This is Nathan’s first individual Cappies nomination. He also acted in 2024’s Best Play awarded Romeo and Juliet as a member of the nominated Citizens of Verona Ensemble, and performed in his understudy track covering Paris a that year’s Gala. Nathan has served as section leader for two musicals, including Cabaret. Nathan is also a section leader and member of the Lake Braddock Symphonic Band, and this year won the American Protege International Vocal Competition with first place in Broadway/Musical Theatre and second in Opera Aria. He will attend the Schmidt Vocal Institute this summer.

Congratulations on a wonderful performance, Nathan, and we are so proud to see you honored with this nomination!

06/04/2026

From opening the production together with Wilkommen to closing it haunting the stage from above in echoes of those initial costumes, the Kit Kat Klub Ensemble was truly the backbone of Cabaret. Their flashy numbers and inhabiting of the world, stylized dance and vocals while building intricate relationships in space- shaped the narrative and beckoned the audience into their lair, the Klub itself.

This is the LBT’s fourth consecutive nominated ensemble (2025’s Chorus in The Trojan Women, 2024’s Citizens of Verona in Romeo and Juliet, and 2023’s Transylvanian Ensemble which received that year’s Cappie), and first ever nomination for ensemble in a musical.

The ensemble is comprised of Nathan Lee (Emcee), Murphy Finnegan (Sally Bowles), Lily Maher (Rosie), Holland Hasle (Lulu), Sydney Treon (Frenchie), Ashley Kennedy (Texas), Sofia Terpak (Fritzie), Ainsley Zauel (Helga), Carter Smith (Bobby), James Cronin (Victor), Adam Giacomazzi (Hans), and Jakub Wilson (Herman).

It includes members of the awarded Dracula ensemble (Murphy, Ashley, Holland, Lily), Romeo and Juliet nominated ensemble (Ashley, Nathan, Sydney), and Trojan Women nominated ensemble (Ainsley, Sydney, Lily).

As a full complement, the Kit Kat Klub ensemble performed “Wilkommen,” “Money,” the Finale and danced in “Two Ladies” and “I Don’t Care Much”. The Girls performed additionally in “Don’t Tell Mama” (with an appearance from Carter Smith as Chaperone), “Mein Herr,” and “Kickline” (joined by the Boys for its conclusion) as well as a specially created five minute dance sequence in the show’s Ent’racte. The Ensemble also inhabited all of the Klub scenes alongside the Berlin ensemble and changed to become citizens for the conclusion of Act 1.

Their work included intensive choreography sessions and physical storytelling expectations as well as knowing how to step forward for their features and solos and then melt into a complex unit.

Congratulations to the members of this incredible group on being recognized with this nomination!

06/04/2026

A nomination for Song acknowledges a moment in the production that disparate elements come together to capture an audience- instrumental music, choreography, vocal performance, acting, and tech elements including lighting, costumes, set, audio mix and more.

The ballad "I Don’t Care Much" featured powerful vocal work and poignant emotion from Nathan Lee (Emcee) who also shared solo piano responsibilities with Lewis Barger in the piece (Orchestra). The full Orchestra accompanied, with features for Willow Benner on Tenor Saxophone. The Kit Kat Klub girls inhabited backlit translucent windows (Cole Conques:Set, Sage Esarey: Lighting) while moving with mysterious slow sustains and Holland Hasle (Lulu) and Adam Giacomazzi (Hans) shared an adagio pas de deux in a top lit special. Costumes reiterated their Fosse leotards and fishnets from Mein Herr, and the transition into the song included added percussion and dance to cover the moving of the piano.

“I Don’t Care Much” will be performed at the Gala on Sunday to represent both the song nomination and the production itself.

Congratulations all!

06/04/2026

Costumes capture era and character, tone and style. They convey status and class, symbolism and mental state. And in the case of Cabaret they must be able to permit intensive dancing and survive rapid quick changes and physical exertion.

From hand stitched slips and robes to a custom created showgirl leotard, bedazzled individual fringe flapper dresses and altered corsetry, suiting and more- Cabaret’s costume array was daunting and beautiful.

Nominated in the category of Costumes is Lila Halleran in her second technical design nomination after being honored for Hair and Makeup for her work on last season’s epic The Trojan Women. Lila is also the student Mistress of the Wardrobes for the department, overseeing and helping train costume and makeup designers. She simultaneously served as Assistant Director for Cabaret. Lila designed in two departments across multiple shows this season and was also honored with a Thespy Superior at VTF for her presentation on The Trojan Women. She will pursue a BFA in Costume Design and Technical Construction at VCU Arts this fall.

We are so proud of this immense costume plot and if you- congratulations, Lila!

06/04/2026

Sofia Terpak is nominated for Featured Actor in a Female Role for her performance as Fraulein Kost.

Musically, Kost features in “Married” and “Tomorrow Reprise”. The role required a German dialect, fabulous comedic timing, and a dramatic change and reveal of something more sinister at the end of Act 1.

Sofia also had a daunting doubling track as Fritzie, one of the Kit Kat Klub girls, and is a memory of this season’s Ensemble. This is her first individual Cappies nomination. Sofia will pursue a BA in Theatre Performance with a Major in Musical Theatre at James Madison University this fall.

Congratulations, Sofia!