The Bridge Cabaret PLUS – 5/19/2025
The Bridge Cabaret – PLUS
co-presented by
Taking the Wheel
A musical cabaret conceived and performed by DAMON J. BOLLING
with Collaborative Pianist JOSH CONDON
Monday, May 19
7:00pm Preshow* / 7:30pm Performance
@ ASU Kerr, 6110 N Scottsdale Rd
$20 General Admission / $12 Student, Senior, Educator, Artist, Veteran (at the door)
**If cost is a barrier, please email info@bridgeinit.org**
About the show:
Taking the wheel is about choosing to live with intention—to no longer drift through life as a passenger, but to steer your own course, even when the road ahead is uncertain. That choice takes love, and it takes courage. It took me a long time to understand that life doesn’t simply happen—we have to meet it halfway, with open hands and an open heart. Nothing is promised, nothing owed. To begin, we must be brave—and sometimes even fearless enough to try, to risk, to hope.
My connection to the Bridge Initiative’s mission is that the songs I’ve chosen for this performance are often sung by women, and that’s no accident. They are an ode to the strong women who shaped me—who showed me what resilience, grace, and love look like. Through their strength, I learned to find my own.
I’m still on that journey of becoming, of reaching, and of trying—and if you are too, I hope these songs bring you comfort, and a sense of connection. We are all navigating life in our own way, but for a moment, through music, we travel together.
– Damon J. Bolling
And… you have a chance to perform!
*Bring sheet music to sing with Josh during the 7pm preshow. Please come early and sign up – first come, first served! Doors open at 6:45pm.
CABARET ARTIST
Damon J. Bolling (he/him) This marks Damon’s second collaboration with The Bridge Initiative, previously seen in the Broadway Curious series, “The Ties that Bind.” Damon has been fortunate enough to grace the stage and screen, for over 30 years from highschool auditoriums to the New Amsterdam Theater on Broadway. and the recipient of 3 AriZoni Awards for theatre excellence. Damon has acted and directed with Valley Theaters including Stray Cat Theatre, Black Theatre Troupe, Theatre Works, Phoenix Theatre Company, Desert Foothills Theatre, Mesa Encore Theatre, Desert Stages Theatre, Greasepaint Youth Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, and Fountain Hills Theatre. Damon has been an advocate of storytelling through art by breaking down social barriers and disrupting the status quo.
COLLABORATIVE PIANIST
Josh Condon (he/him) is the Resident Artist and Director of Community Music Programs for Arizona Musicfest, a concert-presenting organization in north Scottsdale, AZ. With a background as a crossover pianist in the genres of both classical and jazz, Josh is equally adept at conducting for choirs, musical theatre productions, and symphony orchestras. Josh serves as Music Director/Conductor of the Arizona Musicfest Pops Ensemble, and serves as Assistant Conductor for the Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestra, North Valley Symphony Orchestra, and Arizona Musicfest Festival Orchestra. He also has guest conducted the Scottsdale Philharmonic, the Scottsdale Symphonic Orchestra, and the Arizona Musical Theatre Orchestra. He previously served as Resident Music Director for Arizona Broadway Theatre in Peoria, AZ and as Music Director for St. Francis Xavier Parish and the Xavier College Preparatory Department of Theatre in Phoenix, AZ. Before coming to Arizona, Josh was a music director and pianist for the Norwegian, Celebrity, and Princess cruise lines, where he collaborated with numerous West End and Broadway performers. He is passionate about creating positive environments in rehearsal and performance so that all can learn and perform to their best ability. Josh holds a BM in Jazz Studies from Ithaca College and an MM in Music Direction for Musical Theatre & Opera from Arizona State University. Originally from western New York, Josh resides in Phoenix with his wife Lexy, and their son Arlo.
**This program is made possible, fully or in part, by a grant from Scottsdale Arts with funding provided by the City of Scottsdale. This season’s projects are supported in part by a CCG grant for general operations from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, which receives support from the State of Arizona and the National Endowment for the Arts.**