MEET THE TEAM

CREATOR + ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
(HE/HIM)

MICHAEL IS A BI-COASTAL ACTOR, PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, WRITER AND HALF-FILIPINO GIANT FROM ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. HE CREATED AMBUSH CABARET IN 2018. REGIONAL CREDITS INCLUDE CCAE THEATRICALS’ BOTTLE SHOCK! THE MUSICAL (MIKE GRGICH), 9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL (TINSWORTHY) AT MUSICAL THEATRE WEST, MAMMA MIA! (BILL) AND CLUE (MR. BODY) AT LA MIRADA THEATER. INTERNATIONAL TOURS: RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER AND CATHY RIGBY IS PETER PAN. MICHAEL ORIGINATED THE ROLE OF KING AGNARR IN DISNEY’S FROZEN, directed by Liesl Tommy, AND appeared as DRAKE IN ANNIE ALONGSIDE AN ALL-STAR CAST AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL.

MUSIC DIRECTOR
(he/him)

Originally from Topeka, KS, Benet is a Los Angeles-based music director, song-writer, composer, arranger and pianist. He is a pianist-performer at Disneyland's Showdown At The Golden Horseshoe, an adjunct professor of Musical Theater at Fullerton College, and the composer for the new Instagram short-film series, Kidscripts. National Broadway tour credits include Cabaret; Associate Music Director (2016), Waitress; 2nd Keyboards/Auxiliary Percussion Sub (2018), and How the Grinch Stole Christmas; 2nd Keyboard (2011). Benet received his MFA in Music Direction from UC Irvine.

CHOREOGRAPHER
(HE/HIM)

PHIL GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE WITH A BFA IN DANCE AND SPENT TIME AS A COMPANY MEMBER OF DONALD MCKAYLE’S ETUDE ENSEMBLE. SINCE THEN, PHIL HAS PERFORMED FOR DISNEY, UNIVERSAL AND IN DONNY & MARIE LAS VEGAS. HE MOTION CAPTURED AND WAS FEATURED IN THE BLACK EYED PEAS EXPERIENCE VIDEO GAME, PERFORMED WITH THE RADIO CITY ROCKETTES ON TOUR AND AT RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL FOR NUMEROUS SEASONS, AND DANCED IN A NUMBER OF TELEVISION SPOTS, MUSIC VIDEOS AND INDUSTRIALS. PHIL IS REPRESENTED BY MSA AND CURRENTLY RESIDES IN LOS ANGELES, WHERE HE CONTINUES TO PERFORM AND CHOREOGRAPH.

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
(SHE/HER)

LIBBY IS A NEW YORK-BASED ACTRESS AND SINGER/SONGWRITER FROM AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND WHO RECEIVED HER BM IN MUSICAL THEATRE FROM MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC. LIBBY’S CREDITS INCLUDE BOTTLE SHOCK! THE MUSICAL AT CALIFORNIA CENTER FOR THE ARTS, ESCONDIDO AND FORESTBURGH PLAYHOUSE (SAM FULTON), AND THE NEW ZEALAND NATIONAL TOUR OF THE SOUND OF MUSIC (LIESL). HER DEBUT EP “LIBBY” WAS RECENTLY RELEASED TO RAVE REVIEWS, AND IS AVAILABLE TO STREAM ON ALL MAJOR MUSIC PLATFORMS. WHEN SHE’S NOT PERFORMING, LIBBY WORKS FOR TINC PRODUCTIONS AS THEIR OFFICE + MARKETING ASSISTANT.

HEAD WRITER
(SHE/HER)

Haley’s introduction to performing was cha-chaing across a community theatre stage at age 3. Select credits: The Truest Crime (Mini Series), Brush 2 (short film), Transplants (TV series), Here for You (short film) and Westwood Girl (TV series). She wrote the 2020 short film Bury Me in Armor with Cameron Bond and Travis Leland. With over 10 years of experience teaching kids and working with parents through Camp Galileo, Haley is also a childhood entertainment expert. She works as Head Teacher for “Tappity,” additionally appearing in the series, directed by William J. Stribling.

AMBUSH TROUPE
(SHE/HER)

KATIE HAS APPEARED AS JANE IN TARZAN (3D-THEATRICALS), FRAUELIN KOST IN CABARET (CROWN CITY THEATRE CO.), SUZY IN THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES (SIERRA REP AND CANDLELIGHT PAVILION), AMBER IN HAIRSPRAY (SIERRA REP), A SILLY GIRL IN BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (3D-THEATRICALS) AND DISNEY’S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE IN FROZEN: LIVE AT THE HYPERION. SHE HAS PERFORMED OVER/ON THE SEAS FOR DISNEY IN TOKYO AND AS AN ORIGINAL CAST MEMBER ABOARD THE DISNEY FANTASY. WHEN NOT EATING, SLEEPING, OR WAITING ON HOLD WITH GOVERNMENT OFFICES, KATIE OWNS AND OPERATES HER OWN PERSONAL STYLING AND WARDROBE CONSULTING BUSINESS, STYLE BY KD.

AMBUSH TROUPE
(SHE/HER)

BORN AND RAISED IN PLANO, TEXAS, KELLEY EARNED HER BFA IN MUSICAL THEATRE FROM EMERSON COLLEGE. SHE’S WORKED ON TOUR WITH THEATREWORKS/USA, SAILED WITH DISNEY CRUISE LINES, AND PERFORMED IN THEATRES FROM LOS ANGELES TO NEW YORK TO LONDON. SINCE 2015, SHE HAS WORKED AS A CASTING ASSISTANT FOR JULIA FLORES CASTING. RECENT CREDITS INCLUDE THE SECRET GARDEN (MRS. WINTRHOP/CHOLERA) WITH THE CENTER THEATRE GROUP, A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER (PHOEBE) AT 3-D THEATRICALS/TUACAHN, AND SINGING IN THE RAIN (DORA/MISS DINSMORE) WITH MCCOY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT.

AMBUSH TROUPE
(HE/HIM)

ANDREW LOVES AMBUSH CABARET, OKAY? HE WAS ONE OF THE VERY FIRST SPECIAL GUESTS AND NOW A HAPPY MEMBER OF THE TEAM. YOU’LL MOST LIKELY REMEMBER ANDREW FROM HIS EXCELLENT WORK WITH THE OIL BARONS. HE’S ALSO ACTED SOME. REGIONAL CREDITS INCLUDE THE FREEDOM MACHINE (DOM) AT LA MIRADA THEATRE, SOUTH PACIFIC (MCAFREE) AND BIG FISH (WILL) AT MUSICAL THEATRE WEST, MAN COVETS BIRD (MAN) AT 24TH STREET THEATRE, AND KING LEAR (EDMUND) AT LONG BEACH SHAKESPEARE COMPANY. ANDREW ALSO APPEARED AS KRISTOFF IN FROZEN: LIVE AT THE HYPERION.

AMBUSH TROUPE
(SHE/HER)

NANCY IS A CHINESE-AMERICAN ACTOR FROM BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA. NANCY PERFORMED IN HER FIRST PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTION AT 16 YEARS OLD WHERE SHE PLAYED A SHOWGIRL AND A TAP DANCING COW, AND SOMEHOW DECIDED THEN THAT’S WHAT SHE WAS GOING TO DO WHEN SHE GREW UP. SELECT THEATRE CREDITS: SWING IN BROADWAY NATIONAL TOUR MISS SAIGON, ORIGINAL CAST FROZEN: LIVE AT THE HYPERION, ORIGINAL CAST RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER THE MUSICAL. YOU CAN CATCH HER TAP DANCING AROUND LOS ANGELES WITH THE HONEYTAPS. BA DANCE, MINOR SOCIOLOGY, UC IRVINE.

AMBUSH TROUPE
(HE/HIM)

LUCKY TO HAVE BEEN A PART OF THIS FAMILY FROM THE BEGINNING, YOU MAY RECOGNIZE NICK FROM SUCH STARRING ROLES AS JESUS JOHN MAYER, TIKI BAR OWNER, AND BEARDED FLASHER AT THE DMV. PAST NON-AMBUSH GIGS INCLUDE A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER (3-D THEATRICALS/TUACAHN), FOREVER PLAID (WELK RESORTS, ICT, NORRIS, PCPA), THE MOONRAYS DOO WOP, AND THE TOURING REVUE SHOW KIT AND THE KATS. WHEN NOT PERFORMING, NICK IS THE PRODUCER OF “TAPPITY,” AN INTERACTIVE SCIENCE APP FOR KIDS ALONGSIDE HIS INCREDIBLE WIFE, HALEY (AMBUSH WRITER, COMEDIAN, HOT MAMA, CERTIFIED BADASS).