Short+Sweet Cabaret 2012 Opens tonight!

Short+Sweet Cabaret is unique to Melbourne and pays tribute to the exciting underground cabaret network that the city boasts in venues and festivals daily. Merging theatre and music, they create an atmosphere of exploration, energy, politics, stories, characters, songs, as well as a forum where new ideas are tested, risks are taken, where the performers and audience experience something new, and never seen before.

The only thing to expect is that each piece is under ten minutes. Be prepared to release the relentless expectations the word cabaret evokes, as Short+Sweet Cabaret 2012 explores the unexpected.

Short+Sweet Cabaret launches 30 new works from Melbourne’s hottest new cabaret talent. Creating a forum where new ideas are tested, risks are taken, and the performers and audience experience something new (and never-before-seen!).

Be prepared to release the relentless expectations the word "cabaret" evokes.

It opens tonight, featuring a big list of talented heat finalists.

The Gala Final will be held on December 8, 2012.

Cabaret Promo from Short+Sweet Melbourne on Vimeo.

Heats:

Venue: The Chapel Off Chapel

GROUP A 
November 29-30 - 8:00pm 
December 1  - 2:00pm & 8:00pm

GROUP B 
December 5-7 - 8:00pm 
December 8 - 2:00pm

WILDCARDS 
GROUP C 
December 2 - 2:00pm & 8:00pm

Tickets: $30 Full, $25 Concession and Group 10+ 
(+ transaction fee)

Click here for tickets.

Gala Final:

Venue: The Chapel Off Chapel

Dates: Saturday December 8 @ 8pm 

Tickets:$35 Full, $30 Concession, $30 Groups 10+ (+Transaction Fee)

Click here for tickets.

For the latest updates and program, check out their Facebook Page and follow them on Twitter.

Chapel Off Chapel

12 Little Chapel Street, Prahran

Tel: 03 8290 7000

SHORT+SWEET CABARET HEAT FINIALIST 

CABARET GROUP A
November 29-30 – 8pm
December 1 - 2pm & 8pm

Hayley Burton – Ready to Role
Amanda  Buckley

Ranga: The Untold Story   
Bridget Mylecharane

Good Grief  
Sarah Gaul

Bullet for myValentine  
Paige  Burney

Shake It Out
Kate  Alnutt

A Very Kitty Christmas
Kitty Bang

Jen & John – A Cabaret About…John.
Jennifer Reed  

I Wish I Knew How It Felt To Be Free
Benny Dimas

A Little Bit Of Little Pattie
Veronica Wnuk                                           

Oprahfication    
Rachel Dunham
Shanon Whitelock

CABARET GROUP B
December 5-7 – 8:00pm
December 8 – 2:00pm

I’m with Stupid
Charnae Howlett

Footprints
Bianca Moon

Corroborret
Bekki Adams

Grey Picket Fence 
Lachlan Martin

The Things My Mama Told Me
Danielle Asciak

The Life and Crimes of Zak Love
Zak Love

Death by Hypochinriasis 
Emma Wolfe

Do Better
Sophie  Miller

Ruby Delicious (& The Afternoon Delights)
Helen Patterson

CABARET WILDCARDS GROUP C
December 2 – 2pm & 8pm

STRANGER! DANGER?
Tracey O’Brien, Alex Frank

Pray The Gay Away 
Brendan Talbot

Confessions of a Fare Evader
Stephanie Strange

Hello, How’Ya Goin
Bart Harrowell

Chiaroscuro, Baby
James Hogan,  Hannah Camelleri and Thomas Wolff

For the Ladies
Eamonn George

16 Years Old
Alexia Brinsley

Dragostea Mea
Lucy Gransbury

The Other Woman
Heather Bloom

My Little Shtetl
Taylor Klaus

Feast Festival 2012 Review: Trixie and Monkey - Flipping and Stripping

Award-winning burlesque duo Trixie Little and the Evil Hate Monkey from New York are both insanely sexy. In fact, they are sex appeal personified.

Their routines and costumes are creative, not to mention clever (I do love Trixie’s banana dress). The show treads the fine line between edgy and over the top. The duo does not play safe, which adds the sense of adventure and excitement. I like being challenged at shows, and thankfully, they get the balance just right. The very concept of love between a human and a monkey is quite controversial, but their burlesque acts make people see beyond that, and it does segue nicely into dash of political commentary on equal marriage rights.

My favourite moments include aforementioned banana dress, a monkey in a tutu dancing on a pointe, and the hysterically funny audience participation segment with a sex psychic, Gypsy Little. We all got to see Dave from the audience bravely go up on the stage to enjoy the close encounters with the duo and “slap the monkey”…twice.

And the breathtaking Kama Sutra routine on trapeze deserves a special mention – it is a sight to behold. They go through the raunchy moves effortlessly, even though it’s your “don’t try this at home” variety high level acrobatics.

Trixie and Monkey know how to put on a spectacular show that’s risqué, cheeky, boundary-pushing and deliciously entertaining. Grab a banana and join in on the fun!

Trixie and Monkey will be performing their final show tonight @ 10:30pm Feast ANZ Hub, The Ballroom. Click here for more info and tickets.

Feast Festival 2012 Review: Miss Coco Peru is Present

Let me say this right off the bat – Miss Coco Peru is the real deal and is no ordinary drag queen.

You know you’re in for quite a ride when a show begins with a tale of narrow escape from death and a flying dildo – and it’s not what you think.

In this superbly written show bursting with comedy gold and genuine depth, she pulls off an impressive Adelaide debut and delivers an out of this world performance that leaves no stone unturned.  Her compellingly nuanced stories celebrate sexuality, individuality, acceptance, survival and everything else in between.

She has elegant looks, killer pins, delightfully animated eyes, a caustic tongue and a smouldering voice. Her engaging monologues have punch lines that can knock out a ringful of heavy-weight boxers.

She gives her audience a glimpse into her life so far, and talks about growing up as a gay boy in the Bronx,  her attempts to become a saviour, her mother Helen, her Spanish husband Rafael, a skiing trip to Aspen and shimmying with a young girl in her neighbourhood among other amusing anecdotes.

Two stories stand out in particular; one involving a cable guy and his fetish and another about her friendship with the late Bea Arthur. They are told with profound empathy and tenderness that soothe the soul.

Do yourself a favour - go see Miss Coco, experience this divine drag queen Jesus and become a disciple. It would be an absolute sacrilege to miss this show.

Miss Coco Peru will be performing two more nights - tonight and Sat night @ 8.30pm Feast ANZ Hub, The Ballroom.  Click here for more info and tickets.

The eleventh hour cabaret guide at Feast 2012

 So I took my eye off the ball, and Adelaide’s LGBTI arts and culture festival Feast is now in its final week before I had a chance to write about it. I got to see a few great shows last week, which I will elaborate on in a separate post. But in the meantime, there is still quality cabaret on offer in the next three nights.

There's glamourous and hilarious Miss Coco Peru, a sensational drag queen from America,  A big hit show Gady Lala, Adelaide's favourite cabaret act with a number of sold-out shows, a brilliant burlesque duo Trixie and Monkey hailing from NYC and more!

Miss Coco Peru Is Present

An Australian Exclusive at Feast 2012

U.S. Drag Legend/Monologist/World Savoir, Coco Peru, is widely-known for her hilarious star turns in the films Trick and Girls Will Be Girls and on TV’s Will and Grace. Coco Peru is Present charts Coco’s course from her strange beginnings in a dysfunctional, working-class family in the Bronx to her rise as one of America’s most celebrated drag queens.  Oh, and there’s also the Alien Abduction! 

“If there were an award for most girlish and glamorous, funniest, mouthiest diva/icon/trannie/comedian, the inimitable Miss Coco Peru would win hands down.” - L.A. Weekly 

“Miss Coco is a heavenly hoot... Wry and uncensored, the show is a hilarious exorcism, with music, no less. Hey, that's entertainment.” - Los Angeles Times

 "A composite of dozens of creamy homegrown femmes fatales.” - The New York Times

Nov 22 - 24 @ 8.30pm Feast ANZ Hub, The Ballroom  Click here for more info and tickets.

Gady Lala – Songs for the Sophisticated Fag Hag

Libby O'Donovan, Catherine Campbell and Sidonie Henbest are three women who know a thing or two about fags, hags & dubious shags.
Join them for a raucous celebration of the songs that make everyone sing out loud and proud and dance around their sequined handbags, in a sophisticated way of course!

Nov 23 & 24 @ 7pm

Feast ANZ Hub, The Ballroom 

Click here for more info and tickets.

 Megadrag

Feast’s legendary drag–centric extravaganza returns for a non-stop, over the top, no holds barred night of heels, hair, strapping and packing.

This huge night promises to be even more outrageous, astounding and amazing than ever. 
When over 30 drag Queens, Kings and showgirls strut their stuff. Drag legends perform alongside new talent in this is bigger than Ben Hur drag–a-thon.

Nov 22 @ 10:30pm

Feast ANZ Hub, The Ballroom

Click here for more info and tickets.

Trixie and Monkey – Flipping and Stripping

New York City's award-winning burlesque duo present eye-popping acrobatics and banana-flavored insanity! Trixie is a freakishly strong, bendy burlesque beauty, with Monkey, her hilarious hairy boylesque co-star. For the first time in Australia, presenting their greatest acts, cultivated during a decade on the road in America. Both brilliant AND stupid, there will be trapeze, striptease, shenanigans and a monkey in a tutu.

Nov 22 @ 7pm,  Nov 21 @ 9pm, Nov 24 @ 10.30pm

Feast ANZ Hub, The Ballroom

Click here for more info and tickets.

Bearstock 12: Mega Bear

Bearlesque meets ca-bear-et with a healthy dose of bear stand-up, bear drag and bear music. Featuring bear performers from around Australia. Hosted by Melbourne’s hilarious Dean Arcuri. Full line-up announced at bearstock.bmofa.org.au.

Nov 23 @ 10.30pm

Feast ANZ Hub, The Ballroom

Click here for more info and tickets.

Feast 2012 

November 10-25

Feast website: www.feast.org.au

Follow Feast on Twitter

'Like' Feast on Facebook

Writing cabaret: Weekend workshop with Queenie van de Zandt

Accomplished cabaret and musical theatre performer Queenie van de Zandt is making one pit stop before her trip to Melbourne, to the beautiful town of Thirroul in the Illawarra to host a Creating Cabaret workshop on November 24th and 25th. Just in time to hone your craft for the upcoming 10th Annual Australian Cabaret Showcase.

If you are a performance artist itching to create your very own cabaret show, this workshop will help you get the skills to tell your story.

Queenie van de Zandt

Queenie is best known for her extensive work in musical theatre and cabaret. As a former tutor at NIDA and VCA, and having run a masterclass at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Queenie brings a wealth of know “how to” to the workshop. Her two critically acclaimed cabaret shows, Cabaret in 12 Easy Steps and The Best (and Worst) of Queenie van de Zandt have toured to every major cabaret festival in Australia and she continues to tour each show regionally. "I'm finally running a short course for adults!  It is going to be my last one for a while as I'm about to head off to Melbourne to start work on King Kong. But I'm soooo excited about this weekend workshop - because it's one of my favourite things to do - CABARET!" says Queenie.

 "Creating a Cabaret helps you to develop and refine your own unique artistic voice and to share that individual voice through cabaret. I maintain that just as everybody has a book inside them, everybody has a cabaret inside just waiting to get out! The cabaret form allows you to express your story, your idea, your take on things. Every cabaret artist follows a path that intrigues them - and that's what makes good cabaret so very wonderful.

After initially presenting this course to VCA musical theatre students, and subsequently adapting it for the NIDA Open Program and the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, I have now developed it as a two-day weekend writing workshop for Sydney aspiring and established cabaret performers to help them develop their own cabaret shows."

This workshop is designed to impart the unique skills needed to create a cabaret. Participants will learn all about the cabaret genre, cabaret styles and forms, what makes great cabaret, the skills needed to devise their own cabaret show and will come away from the weekend with an outline and structure of their own unique cabaret. The workshop will be a great space to share and develop ideas/collaborate with others.

 “The students of today have great opportunities to learn the skills of Cabaret. For example, at the Brisbane Conservatorium Head of Musical Theatre Paul Sabey runs a cabaret component. He employs the expertise of a current diva of cabaret, Megan Shorey to lead the students through the various stages of creating their own cabaret. The final product is a fully produced cabaret. This amazing opportunity unfortunately was not available in my day, and is not widely available to many students who study privately. Unless, of course they attend a course such as the Writing for Cabaret workshop. It will be an amazing opportunity for the performance artists of the Illawarra to work with Queenie van de Zandt and it is just a short drive from Sydney,” says performer, producer and organiser of this workshop, Sarah Knight.

“Some people have instinctive talent for writing, but for those of us who don’t, a little guidance maybe all that is needed. And it may unlock new possibilities or perhaps they will even find others to collaborate with. Rather than sitting around waiting for someone else to create something for you to perform in, germinate a little something of your own.”

Creating Cabaret – A Workshop in Writing for Cabaret

Workshop Speaker: Queenie van de Zandt

Date: Saturday November 24 & Sunday November 25, 2012

Time: 10am - 5pm

Venue: Thirroul Community Centre - 352 -358 Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Thirroul NSW

To book your spot, click here.

For more information, visit their website www.sarahknightpresents.com or email

sarah@sarahknight.com.au

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"Like" Creating Cabaret on Facebook.