The
City of Sydney Cabaret Convention 2003:
"Rebirth and Renewal"
Sydney Town Hall (May 27th through 31st - 2003)
Sydney, Australia
By now you will have guessed that I had a great time at Sydney
Cabaret Convention 2003. Last year's event was a very different sort
of experience. I finished the week so disheartened that I was unable
to write more than one report. At that time I felt as if the life's
blood of the experience had been drained away. It seemed as if those
who were responsible for organizing and managing the Convention had
lost focus and were putting it on because it was something that was
supposed to happen every year. In other words, they had forgotten
what cabaret was all about. I could offer lots of reasons for this
sorry state of affairs, but what would be the point?
What really mattered was
that this year represented a time of rebirth and renewal of energy
that spelled success. Key to this change was the decision of the City
of Sydney, sponsors of the event, to allow Ron Creager to assume responsibility
for a major re-think of the creative vision that would guide the Sydney
Cabaret Convention 2003.
Ron Creager is a working
musician with major contacts in Australia and not an arts administrator
removed from the "business." He had been thinking about what needed
to be done to restore excitement to this experience for a long time.
In addition, Ron consulted with many cabaret artists about what was
missing in the Convention during recent years, as well as their "wish
list" for change. Armed with that feedback, he fashioned an overall
artistic vision that was both imaginative and practical. The overall
guiding philosophy behind both of these changes was the need for elegance
and sophistication, the hallmarks of cabaret.
Creager, along with his
producer, Christopher Coogan, decided on a major overhaul of the "look"
of the event itself. As I said in previous reports, the transformation
of the Lower Town Hall into the Sydney Cabaret Club was less than
successful. This year, the entire space was re-configured. There was
a new and far more glamorous, red-carpeted entryway that opened onto
a spacious bar and after-show entertainment area, all of which provided
a portent of the elegance lying just out of sight in the club itself.
But it was the Sydney
Cabaret Club that provided the most visible change. Seating was on
three levels, using small tables and much more atmospheric lighting
than in the past. There was a sense of nightclub intimacy, allowing
for better sightlines for the audience. Gone was that feeling that
you were attending some stuffy retirement dinner. As a prelude to
each evening, videos of Australian cabaret acts, provided by our Channel
9 from their vast archive of variety performers, were shown on a large
screen in the room. This was a very clever Creager innovation for
introducing the evening's festivities. The video was also used to
project short introductions by each act in the Showcase Evenings,
a charming way to personalize these performances.
All of these physical
changes served to emphasize the new approach being taken in this year's
Convention. However, it was the alterations in the organization of
the event itself that were most critical to the new vision that Ron
Creager and Christopher Coogan implemented. Sydney Cabaret Convention
2003 was no longer run as a talent quest/amateur night as had been
the case in previous years. Best of all, there was a focus on the
entertainment values of cabaret as an art. Pre-Convention auditions
were used to select a small pool of talented entrants for the Showcase
Evenings, assuring a high level of performance for the first four
evenings and allowing audiences to concentrate on the individual strengths
and weaknesses of each artist.
Thanks to the shift in
the event's focus, Ron Creager was able to attract established performers
back to the Convention, providing an interesting balance of old professionals
and newcomers. This enabled the young artists to learn by experiencing
a wealth of performance during the duration of the Convention. It
was an additional plus that this very successful mix resulted in a
very satisfying entertainment package for each night's audience. As
an added plus, the organization of the Showcase Evenings around themes
(New Australian cabaret music, Singer/Dancers and Australian "Legends")
provided a coherent structure for each program.
Another of the major innovations
was the wise decision by Creager and Coogan to stage the Gala Finale
in the Sydney Cabaret Club, instead of the main space of the Sydney
Town Hall. In previous years, the event had become little more than
excuse for an overblown banquet in a huge hall with very poor acoustics,
using performers who seemed to be hired for "name value." Using cabaret
performers in the now-familiar space of the Sydney Cabaret Club restored
the qualities of intimacy, style and sophistication that are the hallmark
of cabaret to the Convention's last night.
I have saved my discussion
of Creager and Coogan's finest inspiration for last: the creation
of the after-show open mike bar. Beginning shortly after the end of
the show, the open mike bar was hosted by a different performer each
night. Thus, Toni Lamond, Tony Sheldon, Genevieve Lemon and Lyn Shakespeare
started the proceedings off on each occasion with a number before
turning over the mike to volunteers. In no time at all, a new culture
was being created that grew in popularity with each successive night.
As the word got out, performers came in just to "strut their stuff"
at the open mike. This was the perfect conclusion to the pleasures
of the evening, moving from the structure of the staged show to the
informality of popular music making.
None of this would have
been possible without the support of the caterers, the Mode Group,
who provided a very efficient bar and food service for the open mike
nights, in addition to a superb food menu prior to and during each
evening's show. Their agreement to sponsor this part of the night
was a real plus. Without a doubt, this new feature marked a most significant
change to the "emotional lift" of each of the Showcase Evenings.
Quo Vadis the Sydney
Cabaret Convention 2004?
In previous years, I have
tended to end up with suggestions for changes to the event and questions
about why management made various decisions in the organization of
the Convention. This was not the case this year. I cannot recall a
time in the past seven years when I was as satisfied with the experience
of attending the Sydney Cabaret Convention, thanks to the many excellent
changes that were implemented. However, there are a few possibilities
that might be added to what has already been done to make this fine
event even better.
In my report about the
entrants who were selected for the Showcase Evenings, I suggested
that their choice of repertoire was sometimes less than ideal. Would
it be possible to offer these performers coaching prior to the event
to assist them in making the best possible impression at the Convention?
In those sessions, both songs and fine points about presentation might
be covered. I am certain such an opportunity would have improved the
work of these young artists considerably.
The only other addition
I might suggest is one I have made in the past. Would it be possible
to add other events, such a panel discussions, to the Convention that
might be useful to both young performers and audiences. Such programs
might deal with how to select repertoire for acts, the best methods
of working with accompanists and the mechanics of creating shows.
I would like to close
this final report by mentioning a number of the workers who contributed
to the success of this year's event. First, I want to salute the many
fine accompanists who provided such admirable support for the performers
this year. These included Ron Creager (wearing his usual "hat" as
musical director extraordinaire in addition to Creative Director),
Michael Tyack, Lindsay Partridge, Kellie Dickerson, Nigel Ubrihien,
Andrew Davidson, Pete Rutherford, Bev Kennedy, Max Lambert, Tony Magee
and Matthew Robinson. These superb musicians (and any others I have
forgotten to mention) are among the best of their "tribe" and made
this event very special.
Credit must be given to
the team from the City of Sydney and the Sydney Town Hall under the
direction of Ann Hoban (Manager of Events) who made Sydney Cabaret
Convention 2003 such a wonderful event. The production team of Mark
Thompson (Designer) and Martin Kinnane (Lighting Designer) created
a new look that added to the elegance of each night. Gail Marshall
(Artist Liaison Coordinator) and her team managed miracles in assisting
the "talent" prior to the Convention and during the week.
Finally, two gentlemen,
whom I have mentioned a number of times, must be given their due.
Christopher Coogan, who produced this event for the City of Sydney,
must be credited with staging the finest edition of this event to
date. However, I must give Ron Creager the loudest round of applause
and a standing ovation. His vision and love of cabaret gave Sydney
Cabaret Convention 2003 the rebirth and renewal it so richly deserved.
May next year's Convention be even more wonderful.
David M. Schwartz
Reports
of the 2003 Sydney Cabaret Convention
Reports of the 2002 Sydney Cabaret Convention
Reports of the 2001 Sydney Cabaret
Convention
Daily Reports of
the 2000 Sydney Cabaret Convention
Daily Reports of the 1999 Sydney Cabaret Convention
Daily Reports on
the 1998 Sydney Cabaret Convention
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