During a month when people show Pride in who they are, an event this week is taking fun in showcasing who they are not.
The annual MixCast cabaret by Juneau Ghost Light Theatre is scheduled to perform two shows at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Saturday at the Crystal Saloon. Ten people are scheduled to perform solo, in duets and in groups with one fundamental concept in mind.
“MixCast is an event that asks performers to choose any number that they would not be typecasted to perform,” Skiba Wuoti, a board member of Juneau Ghost Light Theatre and show co-producer, said in an interview Wednesday. “And typically this takes a gender-bending role. It could be age, it can be race, it can be any stereotype or societal norm that people choose to bridge that gap.”
Participants in the 2023 MixCast perform “When I Grow Up” from “Matilda the Musical.” (Photo courtesy Juneau Ghost Light Theatre)
While the performers might get creative with their costumes, the simple staging with longtime musician Rob Cohen as the accompanist and minimal rehearsal time are elements of what’s intended to be a spirited and somewhat spontaneous set of songs, Wuoti said.
“We basically give performers a chance to work with our accompanist one time before the show,” she said. “And group numbers, we work with each other up to it. But we don’t have set rehearsal times so it’s kind of at everyone’s availability. We make it work. And then the day of the show we all show up there early and make sure everything works in the space. And that’s a part of the charm. And the ambiance of it is that everyone who’s in this show is a well-experienced performer and so part of the fun is getting to kind of have that spur-of-the-moment stuff happen.”
A sampling of the performers, each of whom has an individual profile at the theater’s Facebook page, are:
• Salissa Thole: “A local singing and performing legend, proud Mom, and has performed with JGLT multiple times. Salissa is very honored to perform her character in MixCast because she has never been considered a wealthy white-male type.”
• Show co-producer Wendy Byrnes: “Most frequently on stage she portrays devious, strong, and sometimes manic women, and seeks to avoid interactions with the police; so to take on the roles of a middle- aged soft spoken British gentleman, or a grudge-holding cop, is quite a twist for her.”
• Jack Scholz: A MixCast veteran who “is leaving behind the boy-next-door energy to serve you some more middle-aged-woman-in-the-basement energy. While Jack and this character both share an affinity for sweet treats, Jack prefers his more of the fruit and sugar variety to human body parts.”
Participants in the 2022 MixCast perform “Cell Block Tango” from the stage musical “Chicago.” (Photo courtesy Juneau Ghost Light Theatre)
Wouti, also scheduled to be among the performers, is described at the theater’s Facebook page as “often gets type-casted as a character singing the highest, most ridiculous, notes. However, her performing heart most identifies as her ten-year-old self belting out as little orphan Annie wearing, what can only be described as, a clown wig in community theater.”
The cabaret is included in a list of “Juneau Pride” events taking place between Friday and next Saturday, June 29, being promoted by the Southeast Alaska LGBTQ+ Alliance (SEAGLA), although Wuoti said the inclusion of MixCast is cross-promotional rather than officially linked to that organization’s events. The show is being staged as a fundraiser for Juneau Ghost Light Theatre’s upcoming season.
“This is going to be Juneau Ghost Light Theatre’s first full season in many years,” she said. “So we have two full-length plays coming this next year, plus another radio play. It’s going to be the fifth annual radio play that we’ve done in partnership with KTOO for the last five years. So it’s a big season for us.”
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
