Debuting Artists: Marin Stumpf
Introducing Marin Stumpf as Frenchie in “Cabaret”
OpenStage warmly welcomes another CSU alumni into the company. This week we introduce Marin Stumpf, playing Frenchie in Cabaret.
Tell us about yourself! What’s your theatre background? How did you hear about OpenStage?
I’m a recent graduate of Colorado State University’s acting program! During my time there, I was able to be a part of several shows (both on the acting and technical side of the proverbial curtain). I’ve been involved in theatre since high school, where I started out as a sound technician with an interest in costume design before finding my love of acting. My first exposure to OpenStage was attending some of their performances while I was still in high school and throughout college! I think from the time I saw OpenStage’s production of Monty Python’s “Spamalot” (dir. Emelie Borello) I was hooked on the idea of getting to be a part of one of their shows!
How familiar were you with “Cabaret” prior to the audition process?
“Cabaret” was a soundtrack I heard all throughout my early years. I grew up in an environment that loved Liza Minelli, so “Maybe This Time” and “Willkommen” were songs I knew throughout my childhood before even seeing the show for the first time in early high school. I remember clearly my mom’s copy of the 1972 “Cabaret” soundtrack on vinyl, and remember even more clearly my various attempts to steal and listen to it in the late hours of the night. By the time auditions came around, I’d known the soundtrack by heart for years!
When you hear “Cabaret” what do you think of?
I think of the dangers of political and moral apathy. “Cabaret” is a show that, from its conception to the modern age, speaks for the times and has something important to add to the conversation surrounding its themes in every new decade we enter. Through song and dance, it continues to have one of the best constructed arguments against apathy and political ignorance that I’ve seen, presenting it in a way that gets its point across to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. I think the show continues to be poignant far past its date of release, which is why it’s still being performed now. It’s a tale of caution– a warning to those who are idle in times of mass destruction. It speaks to the past, the current, and to the future.
What project(s) are you working on next? What is your dream role/project and why?
I absolutely love vampires, so I would love to be a part of a team who could bring the works of Anne Rice to the stage! In a similar vein, I’d love to help bring something truly terrifying to the stage. As a horror enthusiast, I think there’s a huge opportunity to bring the horror genre into the realm of theatre. I think the concept has been done before with plays such as “Frankenstein” or “The Woman in Black” and, from the success of those shows, I think there’s room for more horror in theatre. I think my dream project would be to write or be involved with a project that was extremely large scale and truly terrifying!
Come see Marin and the rest of the cast in “Cabaret,” opening night is October 29th!
Book by Joe Masteroff
Based on the play by John Van Druten and
stories by Christopher Isherwood
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Directed by Kenny Moten
Vocal Direction by Kate Rothstein
Music Direction by Matthew Rothstein
Choreographed by Angie Simmons
October 29–November 26, 2022
Playing at the Lincoln Center Magnolia Theatre
This dynamic and much-loved Tony Award-winning musical continues to seduce audiences with the tantalizing Kit Kat Klub, where the iconic Emcee assures us that “life is beautiful…even the orchestra is beautiful.” As 1930s Germany slowly surrenders to the atrocities of the Third Reich, dreams unravel and lives are demolished. Cabaret is a dark, visceral, and tumultuous ride that finds us “at the end of the world… dancing… while being fast asleep.”
CONTENT WARNING: Adult themes and situations. Questions about content? Contact OpenStage at 970.484.5237.
Season tickets are on sale now! Individual show tickets go on sale on September 30th.