In promotion with our upcoming Cabaret Fest October 1st & 2nd, here is the next installment of our member features.
While he might be one of our newer members, he certainly is no stranger to many stages and circles here in the Twin Cities. Joey Clark found his way to TCCAN via a back door. He had played piano as an accompanist for us a few times bringing his expertise to us in that capacity. But he is also a formidable artist in front of a mic, so it only took a bit of convincing from a few of us allies to get him to join. In just a short year he has been a huge advocate in all we do and we are the better for it. He is a valued staff member at Saint Paul Conservatory where he is rearing the next generation of young musical theater artists. He directs all over town in any genre. He has landed major roles at Artistry in Sunday In the Park, with Frank in Cabaret...... How many hats can one talented individual wear? Many it would seem.
Why Cabaret:
As a cabaret performer, I get to break down the walls
between audience & artist and truly engage my audience on a personal level
throughout the performance. This may be
in the form of vocal or physical audience participation, bringing members of
the audience up on to the stage to be a part of the action, or going out
into the audience to engage them in conversation. The feedback loop from audience
member to actor on stage and from actor on stage to audience member is
thrilling and seductively powerful!
Cabaret Snapshot:
My cabaret show Out of the Trenches and
Over
the Rainbow was a one-man, original work about bullying that came as a
response
to a Rutgers University’s student’s act of suicide after being outed
as gay
by his roommate. Through that show I was able to promote
awareness for Dan Savage's "It Gets Better Project" and raise money for
The Trevor Project (a suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ+
youth). This is truly a testament to Joey's passion for making change through his art which is obvious in many things he does.
In prelude to our upcoming Cabaret Fest on October 1st & 2nd, we will doing regular features on a handful of our members. What better way to shout out who we are and what we do.
The first without apology is Mr. Oron Stenesh; a proud Kalamazoo MI native who found his way here via New York. He has launched numerous solo pieces such as The Big 3-O, Olection, HerniO; Stories of Strains and the O Train at landmark places like the Duplex in NYC or the Bryant Lake Bowl here in town. His colorful presence is infectious. For each personal profile we are asking Why Cabaret? and also a Favorite Cabaret Moment snapshot while on stage:
Why Cabaret:
I
love cabaret because it's such a personal and distinctive artistic expression.
I come from a musical theater background, but I find it really fun and
empowering to take the artistic reins from casting directors, artistic
directors and producers and do my own show. Why sing a traditional 16 bars to
try to land a supporting role in a regional production of “Hello, Dolly!” when
you can reinvent “Ribbons Down My Back” as a coy uptempo about summer
flirtation? I describe cabaret as theatre without the imaginary fourth wall
between performer and audience. The audience is an active participant and the
show works best as a conversation. And instead of in a play, when an actor
takes on a role, in cabaret, the role played is one’s authentic self. How thrilling
and fabulous!
As
for my vibe, I like to mix it up with a variety of music – usually some music
theatre tunes, some standards, a pop song here or there, tongue in cheek. I
mess with the lyrics sometimes to give a song my own spin. I traditionally do a
spoken word poem. And I weave this all together with stories and anecdotes from
Life. This celebration of impromptu, honest thinking and creative freedom are
what drew me in and keep me interested. I’m totally energized being up on
stage. I love doing my thing, entertaining my audience and pushing the limits
of humor and pathos with a show.
Cabaret Snapshot:
I think one of my more
successful gambits was within my show Olection (which chronicled my fictional
run for the presidency in 2007-08). I
did a bit about how much I love Bea Arthur and called out her roast of Pamela
Anderson on Comedy Central. Bea roasted Pam in her own words, reading from Pam’s
book “Star,” and it’s amazing. I figured I’d try the same, so did a dramatic
reading of Sarah Palin’s book “Going Rogue.” I also rewrote the lyrics to a
song from “Annie Get Your Gun” sending up Sarah and Todd and some of the
ridiculous antics of late summer ’08 with “Yes, You Can Get VP With a Gun.”
