Karen Williams

Karen Williams is a force, a buzzsaw joke machine. She is proactively provocative, and fearless in confronting cliches, and investigating stereotypes through hyperbole. Her comedy stands out as a distinct, cantankerous voice in the lesbian community and a unique perspective on the world at large. “Human Beings: What A Concept,” Karen Williams’ debut comedy album, is a glimpse into the inner politics of a marginalized group that, by necessity, became curators and creators of their own culture. Karen addresses conformity in kindness, love, and relationships. She shares misgivings about aging, codependency, motherhood, and sexuality, especially regarding intersections with race and libertine living. Karen tells it like it is, as she sees it, cutting through the pleasantries with nuance, texture, ambiance, ambivalence, and gusto. She has lingo for those in the know and expertly crafted elaborations for those who aren’t. Throughout, Karen displays an unmatched genius for sarcasm, irony, and rhetoric. If something doesn’t make sense, she’ll knock some sense into it, but gracefully. Her technique is impressive. Rather than beat her opponent over the head, she’ll take the egregiously erroneous or misinformed stance as her own, stretch the faulty logic until it’s paper thin, and wrap the whole farce up into a bow. Karen Williams is special. For more about Karen's humor and healing work, visit www.hahainstitute.com  

Suzanne Westenhoefer

No one ever accused Suzanne of being subtle, not the shuttle driver who took her to the airport, the woman she was in line with at the grocery store yesterday and certainly not her audiences.  Subtle, she is not.
After 25 years of groundbreaking, stereotype-shattering and brutally honest comedy, she’s not about to start pulling punches now.
The kid from Amish Country who began her comedy career on a dare is celebrating a quarter century of out, open, no-holds-barred comedy.
Suzanne tells the truth. The truth is life is funny, especially when it’s fermented in Suzanne’s mind. That’s why she could never be in the closet, making her a trailblazer when she started doing stand-up in the 1990s. She was the first openly lesbian comedian with an HBO Special and the first openly lesbian comedian on “Late Night with David Letterman.”
Heck, she was on Sally Jesse Raphael in 1991 on a show called “Breaking the Lesbian Stereotype…Lesbians Who Don’t Look Like Lesbians.” From “OMG, a lesbian has long hair and wears make up” to “I went to Helen and Jane’s wedding last weekend,” that’s how far we’ve come in the 25 years Suzanne has been telling her truth to audiences all over the world. Some of that is certainly thanks to her candor, courage and charisma.
Suzanne never does the same show twice. She can’t. She doesn’t write anything down. She charges boldly onto the stage and what happens is always a mystery and a delight. Enjoy a wild night of comedy in a city near you.

Vickie Shaw

Comedian Vickie Shaw is one of our favorite entertainers with Olivia. She has made women of Olivia laugh for over 20 years. Her "take no prisoners" (she's southern) style of comedy is incredibly hilarious and she takes you on a gut-busting journey of extreme humor. She has traveled the U.S. and the world (mostly with Olivia) making people all over the globe laugh until they cry! You've seen her on television, Comedy Central, four comedy specials on LOGO, Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen, and movies (Laughing Matters More), as well as benefits, fundraisers and numerous Pride events all over the U.S. You don't want to miss this incredible entertainer. 

Roxanna Ward

Cabaret-comic extraordinaire Roxanna Ward hails from Laguna Beach, California. Her engaging blend of piano bar and comedy caused one reviewer to observe, “It’s as if Bette Midler and Steve Allen had a love child.” A pianist, musical arranger, producer, and teacher, Ward has worked with legends Dolly Parton, Laura Nyro, Tennessee Ernie Ford, and Bea Arthur. She has conducted orchestras as far apart as Milwaukee, Dusseldorf, and closer to home with Pacific Symphony. As a songwriter, she penned the R&B single “Remember Who You Are,” which reached number 16 on Billboard’s jazz chart when recorded by Phyllis Hyman, and more recently was recorded by Suede.

Roxanna has spent 20 years teaching chorus at both Thurston Middle School and Laguna Beach High School, building the program to admirable levels, and has served as Music Director at the Laguna Playhouse, Irvine Valley College, and Orange County School of the Arts, to name but a few. She has been the Music Director of choice since the inception of No Square Theatre, in California, and has also starred in No Square's productions of Gypsy (Mama Rose), Nunsense (Reverend Mother), and numerous other Lagunatics shows.

Roxanna’s greatest accomplishment is her son, Jake, who’s not only reached adulthood with grace and humor, but is soon to marry a wonderful young lady while enjoying a successful career in finance in San Diego. She’s also the proud mama of the devastatingly attractive mutt, Buddy, who frequently accompanies her to the theatre.

Roxanna is a beloved member of the Olivia family; her Olivia debut was on an Alaska cruise in 1992. Since then, she's joined us several times a year, and her brilliant comedy, writing, musicianship, and singing endears her to audiences everywhere. Whether you are seeing Roxanna for the first time or the tenth, she always makes you laugh and warms your heart.

Natalie Toro

On Broadway, Natalie Toro originated the role of Madame Defarge in A TALE OF TWO CITIES, (Sarasota Magazine’s Best Supporting Actress Award in its pre-Broadway run).

She was the first American to play the role of Eponine in LES MISERABLES and originated the role of Sally in Alan Menken’s, A CHRISTMAS CAROL. She was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award for her portrayal of Eva Peron in the 20^th Anniversary Tour of EVITA.

In National Touring companies, Natalie played Mary Magdalene in JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, Grizabella in CATS and Camila, in IN THE HEIGHTS.

She has originated roles Off- Broadway and Regionally including THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD, ZOMBIE PROM, MOTHERHOOD THE MUSICAL, THE BIKINIS, ZORBA, and BLOOD BROTHERS. World Premieres of BENNY & JOON (The Old globe and Papermill Playhouse), SNOW CHILD (The Arena Stage), FRANCES OF GUERNICA, EVERYTHING’S DUCKY, and THE FIX (produced by Cameron Macintosh). She was two days from opening SISTER ACT playing Mother Superior when the world shut down in March of 2020.

On Television, Toro has guested on LAW AND ORDER, LAW AND ORDER SVU, ELEMENTARY, PERSON OF INTEREST, BLACK BOX, UNFORGETTABLE, SANTA BABY, and PBS. She can also be seen in the 2021 release of Steven Spielberg’s film WEST SIDE STORY.

Natalie is a headliner on major Cruise lines around the world. Her critically acclaimed self-titled CD, NATALIE TORO includes a duet with Sutton Foster and her Holiday CD, “JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS”, include duets with Ryan Kelly (Celtic Thunder) and Grammy Award winner, Jon Secada.  She has been a soloist with symphony orchestras at Carnegie Hall and The National Concert Hall in Dublin, Ireland. Natalie is also a private coach to young aspiring artists and developed an online course called “BREAK A LEG” on how to master your performance skills.

Angie K.

Angie K is shaking up Nashville with her fresh blend of hard hitting country with a nod to her Latin roots. Her first bilingual single ‘Real Talk’ catapulted her on the country scene by making her a ‘Highway Find’ on Sirius XM the Highway. Since then, she has accumulated over 20 million+ streams, 500k+ followers, and was the only independent artist to play on the Nissan Stadium stage during the 2022 CMA Fest. She was recently named to the 2023 class of CMT’s ‘Next Women of Country’ and their “Listen Up” class of 2024. After making the cover of Spotify's 'Country Latino' playlist, Angie was featured in Good Morning America along with her hit single 'Laredo'. The success of the past year helped invite Angie into the prestigious Whippoorwill Arts Fellowship for 2024. Angie has shared the stage with artists like Big & Rich, Tanya Tucker, Sammy Kershaw, Trace Adkins, Melissa Etherige, Jake Owen and more. You can follow her journey on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook at @officialangiek.

DJ Rockaway

Born and raised in Queens, DJ Rockaway has been bringing her passion and love for music to US and international dance floors for nearly two decades. Although she is true New Yorker (just listen to her talk!), she is a regular on both the East and West coasts. You’ll find her spinning at nightclubs, weddings and other private events, and galas for national nonprofits, such as NCLR, HRC, and Equality California, to name a few—and she is also a regular DJ on Olivia cruise and resort vacations.

The executive producer of the San Francisco Women’s Stage and the founder of PLAY San Francisco and PLAY San Jose, monthly events for women who love to dance, DJ Rockaway has created a unique mix of music styles—dance, hip-hop, R&B, house, club, retro—that allows her to play for all who love to dance and feel the music. In her spare time, you can find her behind a camera lens, playing with her drone, or filming and editing music videos. For DJ Rockaway, music is more than a blend of sounds, music is an experience… she wants you to feel it, live it, escape into it.