A how-to cabaret guide by 'Ripen Ready' curator Alison St Ledger.
Alison knows Australia’s got talent, but sometimes it’s just hiding in the shadows. That’s about to change as 'Ripen Ready' shine the spotlight on Brisbane’s bright young stars of the cabaret world.
Freshly-picked new talent will be put through their paces to ripen their cabaret skills ready for a live Queensland Cabaret Festival audience. Featuring Timothy Byrnes, Jayk Cole, Josh Davita, Lauren Sietzema, Xanthe Jones, Rosemary Kirkman, Samara Marinelli and Anna Stephenson, co-producer Ethan Watson will MC the oh-so-tasty event. Here are some of Alison's tips on 'how-to cabaret':
Find a theme
Cabaret as an art form is about storytelling, taking your audience on a ride, creating an intimate experience. It’s a place to explore ideas and have a conversation and the things you can talk about are endless. Just make sure it’s a conversation that the audience wants to have – i.e. something they can relate to.Select your music – do your research
It’s important to choose something that suits you and shows off your talents in the best light. Immerse yourself in a search for just the right song to say what you need it to – Google and YouTube are royalty! If you are a songwriter, it’s always inspiring to look at what other songwriters do to get their story across. Artists that we admire have so much to teach us.Stand out from the crowd
Be different. The beauty of cabaret is that it celebrates diversity and individuality over conformity. Find out what it is that makes you special and put it out there with no apologies.Get to the point
Be short, sharp and incisive. There’s a real trick to saying a lot in as few words as possible. I like the banter between the audience to seem ‘off the cuff’, but underneath each word has been crafted for maximum impact with minimum verbiage.Be truthful
I believe strongly in emotional truth. You can really tell when a performer has engaged with the words of a song or the story of a character as they can seamlessly transport the audience into their world. Even if you are exploring another person’s life or work in your cabaret, be true to who you think they are. It doesn’t have to be your story but it has to be your truth. Your truth about how you interact with the world and how you feel about the story you are telling.'Ripen Ready' will be held at the Judith Wright Centre as part of the Queensland Cabaret Festival, 12 & 13 June.
