Taking the Stage is the 1st stage of Actress Awakens!. Next stage: Taking the Stage (Insane).
Abuse the Floating trait — Beefcake Cat is Floating and Sadako Cat is the answer.
- Ramen Cat as the general meatshield; the opening Those Guys and Squire Rels fund Cyborg and King Dragon stacks.
Yet another entry in the "powerful and fast enemy" category, Beefcake Cat is a force to be reckoned with at the best of times, having massive health with fast and deadly Area attacks to bust past your Cats despite the somewhat mediocre range.
⚙ More counters worked out from the roster, lower confidence than the picks above; kept for reference
Beefcake Cat is Floating. Anti-Floating units take less damage and deal more.
SABER THE CAT C Saber Alter Cat: Strong against Floating enemies (Deals 1.5x damage, only takes 1/2 damage) 
ARCHER CAT A Deals Massive Damage to Floating enemies. Also fits “Out-range Beefcake Cat.” 
BODHISATTVA CAT A Slows and (True) Weakens Floating enemies. Also fits “Clear the crowd.” 
CATMAN S Massive Damage vs Floating (Normal). Also fits “Out-range Beefcake Cat.” 
HIGH LORD BABEL S Equally tough against Floating enemies, with Colossus Slayer. Beefcake Cat reaches 275 range. Units that out-range it can chip safely without taking hits.
GROSS CAT A Range 350 — fires from beyond its 275. 
MASTER URIL A Range 405 — fires from beyond its 275. Also fits “Clear the crowd.” 
SALON CAT S Range 350 — fires from beyond its 275. Also fits “Clear the crowd.” 
NERD CAT A Range 1200 — fires from beyond its 275. Also fits “Clear the crowd.” 
MIGHTY REKON KORPS S Range 470 — fires from beyond its 275. Also fits “Burst the boss down.” Beefcake Cat has a deep HP pool (1,200,000+ even before stage magnification). Heavy single-target burst shortens the fight.
BAHAMUT CAT S Huge multi-hit burst — a story-unlock powerhouse that deletes tanky enemies. MIGHTY REKON KORPS S Among the highest single-hit Area damage available. Also fits “Out-range Beefcake Cat.” 
GAIA THE CREATOR S Long-Distance multi-hit with Insane Damage — a generalist wall-cracker. Also fits “Out-range Beefcake Cat.” 
CRAZED MONEKO A Big crit burst against tanky/Metal targets. 
CHILD OF DESTINY PHONO S Big Multi-Hit Massive-Damage bursts from safety. Also fits “Out-range Beefcake Cat.” 8 enemy types stack up here. Area attackers hit the whole push at once instead of one unit at a time.
URURUN WOLF A Area attacks hit everything in range. Also fits “Out-range Beefcake Cat.” SALON CAT S Hits whole crowds, and is Weaken-immune so it keeps firing through Weaken stages. Also fits “Out-range Beefcake Cat.” 
DELINQUENT CAT A Area Multi-Hit clears grouped enemies. Also fits “Counter Floating.” CATMAN S Long-range Area damage clears groups. Also fits “Counter Floating.” 
ACTRESS CAT B Hits multiple enemies at once for budget crowd damage. Also fits “Out-range Beefcake Cat.” 
The castle you destroy to clear the stage.