The Cake | secondstoryrepertory
April 3, 2026 – April 19, 2026THE CAKE By Bekah BrunstetterDirected by Lani Brockman and Danny MillerDella, a devout Christian baker in North Carolina, is overjoyed when her late best friend's daughter, Jen, returns home to get married. But when Jen asks Della to bake a cake for her and her fiancée, Della's faith and convictions are put to the test. Bekah Brunstetter's "The Cake" is a tender, funny, and deeply resonant play about navigating differences with love and understanding. It’s a heartfelt exploration of faith, family, and the complexities of acceptance, proving that even the sweetest intentions can lead to unexpected challenges. RUNNING TIME: 95 minutes with no intermission. PG-13 for adult situations and language. MEET THE CAST Ariel Rose Horton (Jen) is a queer actor-educator and ardent cake enjoyer who is full of gratitude to be making her SSR debut. Since moving to Seattle in 2021, Ariel has performed with Taproot Theatre Company, Harlequin Productions, Dacha, GreenStage, Annex Theatre, BAT, and others. Offstage, Ariel teaches at a disability-inclusive nature preschool and youth drama classes with Seattle Children's Theatre. Thank you Mom, Sal, and friends. Love is resistance. Robert Bogue (Tim) Following a long hiatus, Robert is very pleased to return to SSR, his first theater home in the state of Washington. Since season three, he has performed in or directed 45 mainstage and TYA productions at SSR. Favorite SSR credits include (Alphie Doolittle )My Fair Lady, (Various roles) The Complete Wks of Wlm Sksp (Abridged), (Harry Brock) Born Yesterday, (Governor) Man of La Mancha, ( Lloyd Dallas) Noises Off, (Genie) Aladdin, (Papa Bear) Goldilocks, along with directing credits which include Misery, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Rocky Horror Show and Last of the Red Hot Lovers. Other regional credits include (Arthur) Camelot at Snoqualmie Falls Forrest Theatre, (Sir Toby Belch) Twelfth Night, The Musical at Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts. Robert wishes to thank Sam, his wonderful whirlwind for all her love and support. Annie St. John (Della) is thrilled to be back on the SSR stage for The Cake! Thank you to Lani, Danny and Mark for this incredible opportunity. She was last seen at SSR as Marie Curie in The Half Life of Marie Curie. Annie has performed at theaters all around the Los Angeles and Seattle area, most recently at Woodinville Rep as Gingy in Love, Loss and What I Wore. All my love to my family; LAAAM forever. And to my heart, Asa, you are my person. In a fun twist on life imitating art, Annie is also a private chef and caterer! You can check out her actual cakes (and cookies and dinners) at www.anniesrealcooking.com. Arika Gloud (Macy) is thrilled to be playing Macy in The Cake at SSR, where this marks her third production. As a graduate of Cal State San Bernardino with a degree in Sociology and a minor in Theater Arts, Arika is passionate about immersive theater, improv, educational theater, children's theater, and visual art. She brings a dynamic creative energy to every performance. Special thanks to my husband, Stephen Jones, for all of his love and support. MEET THE PRODUCTION TEAM Lani Brockman (Co-Director) This is Lani’s first experience with SSR and she is having a blast! Newly retired from her 32-year position of Founding Artistic Director at Studio East, Training for the Performing Arts in Kirkland, Lani couldn’t be happier to be directing adults in this beautiful and timely play. Favorite shows she’s directed include Murder on the Links, The Addams Family, The Drowsy Chaperone, Little Women, Singin’ in the Rain and now, The Cake! It has been her honor to work with this amazingly talented and devoted cast and production team. A very special thanks to Mark, Danny and Jill, without whose help this show could not have happened and to this brilliant cast and crew who have worked so diligently to tell this story with such empathy, reverence and truth. Love to Marty, her wife of 42 years, as well as her amazing family. Dany Miller (Co-Director) is grateful to be back at SSR, realizing a long-time dream of working with Jill, Lani, and Marty on such a meaningful project. Danny has directed or performed in over 30 shows at SSR, most recently on stage in Merrily We Roll Along, and before that directing Copenhagen. He also serves on the Board of Directors and is proud to play a small part bringing quality theater to the eastside. It is especially joyous to be doing a show with his wife Jill again, whom he met at this theater. Marty Eagleson (Assistant Director) is delighted to be at SSR for the 1st time and wearing a new “hat.” After almost 30 years of designing, directing and training in Children’s Theater she is delighted, no, make that ecstatic, to be among adults in any position at all. She thanks her family, chosen and related, for their love and inappropriate laughter. Jill Tubbesing (Dramaturge) is grateful to be here at SSR again after a long hiatus. Over 25 years ago, she helped paint these walls before any show opened, and in subsequent years spent time both on stage and in the box office, not to mention donning elf ears and falling in love with a Shoemaker, Danny. Valerie Reid (Stage Manager) is very excited to be back at SSR for her 4th show! Her previous shows at SSR include Assassins, Sunday in the Park with George and Merrily We Roll Along. Other recent shows include Anything Goes (Reboot) and And Then There Were None (Renton Civic Theatre). She would like to thank her husband, Graham, and her friends and family for always putting up with her crazy schedule. Joe van den Heuvel (Assistant Stage Manager) is thrilled to be working with this talented cast and crew for his first role as ASM. He'd like to thank the production team and SSR for this chance to learn the ropes, and his wife and kids for their support. Rachel Brinn (Costume Design) is a woman of many talents and few words. Enjoy the show! Mark Chenovick (Set/Sound/Light Design) Is thrilled to be working with this amazing team to bring The Cake to life at SSR. SPECIAL THANKS: City Theatre of Miami for cake and pastry props. “The Cake” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
If you’re in the Seattle area, come see our production of The Cake at SecondStory! Proud to be working with this talented cast and crew. www.secondstoryrep.org/product-page...
