Seattle Cabaret Festival 2026 Presents: AARON SHANKS and CLAUDINE MBOLIGIKPELANI NAKO - Fri May 29 @ 9 PM

Welcome to Seattle Cabaret Festival 2026! This year’s festival features 28 artist acts, paired and presented in 25 unique showtimes over 13 nights of intimately crafted musical cabaret.

This ticket event page is for:
FRIDAY MAY 29 / Showtime: 9:00 PM

Seattle Cabaret Festival Presents:
AARON SHANKS and CLAUDINE MBOLIGIKPELANI NAKO 

This pair of acts is presented as one show, emceed by a Seattle Cabaret Festival host. Each act performs a 30- to 38-minute set, with no intermission between acts. Run time of the whole show is 80 minutes.

AARON SHANKS in “Compass Cabaret”

A playful, heartfelt musical journey through joy, longing, reinvention, and love of the Salish Sea. Aaron Shanks charts a course through musical theatre, pop, and jazz in an intimate evening of stories, songs, and spirited discovery.

About Aaron Shanks

Aaron Shanks is a Seattle‑based high tenor and Actors’ Equity performer whose career spans major regional professional theaters, including The 5th Avenue Theatre, Village Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, TUTS, and the Ordway. Known for his warm, expressive vocals and vibrant stage presence, Aaron has appeared in more than two dozen productions, from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Secret Garden to La Cage aux Folles, A Little Night Music, and Titanic in Concert. A Western Washington University graduate with acting, dance, and marketing training, he now blends storytelling, humor, and musical craft in cabaret performances that explore joy, resilience, and the art of finding one’s way.

CLAUDINE MBOLIGIKPELANI NAKO

Claudine Mboligikpelani Nako presents new songs from "Photosynthesis", a genre-bending new musical about the mental health of Black women and the search for light in dark times set in Seattle's Central District.

About Claudine Mboligikpelani Nako

Claudine Mboligikpelani Nako is a multidisciplinary artist who writes, directs, and produces creative projects. Her musical Photosynthesis is about Black women's mental health and the search for light in dark times. It was commissioned by The 5th Avenue Theatre and Village Theatre, and developed with Goodspeed Musicals and Gaisma Theatre Group. Nako is a member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and Dramatists Guild of America. 

Showtime: 9:00 PM. Doors open at 8:30. Egan’s Ballard Jam House is located at 1707 Market St.

*Egan's requests a $10 minimum purchase per patron (food or drink).

*Please note: 9 PM shows require patrons to be 21 or over per Egan’s liquor licensing agreement.

See you at Egan’s!

To read more about SCF 2026 artists and shows or donate to SCF/PNCA:
www.seattlecabaretfestival.com

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