Good news!: I’m going to be in an awesome play, Code 21, written by a fellow Macalester college student. I also got a few of my sketches into the fall Bad Comedy show, and will be directing them as well as acting in a few others.

Bad news!: The performance dates for both these conflict with Patrick’s Cabaret shows, so I’m going to miss all of the Prix-Fixe Cabaret and the Somewhat 90s Variety Show. Dammit! I’m also missing tonight’s show (but I’ll be there tomorrow) due to a rehearsal that I could not weasel my way out of.

Good news!: Since I won’t be working at shows, I’ll have to spend more time working from home, which means much more regular updating of this blog. I’m going to try to get back into the habit of interviewing some of the upcoming performers, which I have regrettably let slide.

I suppose that could be bad news if you don’t like the blog.

Anyhow, here’s what I’ll be missing tonight (but you shouldn’t!):

On the Town & Off the Wall- Open Call Cabaret
tickets- $8 from artists, $10 at the door
Featuring:
Todd Jay as Myrtle
short film by Vincent De Giulio
TAJIMdances
storytelling by Joan Calof
music with Erik Stoeckler
tap dance by Jeremy Bensussan

As always, check out patrickscabaret.org for more information.

Zombieland, Pride and Prejudice with Zombies, zombie pub crawls…pop culture’s zombie infatuation is in full swing. And what better way to celebrate our undead brethren (and support Patrick’s!) than Patrick’s Zombie Cabaret!

 The awesomeness shall unfold at the Fine Line Music Café (318 First Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55401) on Thursday October 22, 2009 from 8:30 pm – 1:00 am. Tickets are $15 and available at the door, Patrick’s Cabaret or online at www.patrickscabaret.org/support/zombie.  You must be 21+ to enter.

Featuring:

* Dancers
Arturo Miles & Nicki Cullinan ~ hip-hop / house dance / waacking dance
Dance group Erin Sheppard & Inimitable Feets
Kinetic Evolutions dancers Una Setia, Jen Swanson, Kayla Schiltgen & Megan Bridges will perform “A Touch of Sass”, choreographed by Sarah LaRose-Holland

* Music
Venus DeMars of transgender punk-glam band All The Pretty Horses
Indie-rock group My Valkyrie
Funk-house DJ Spur
Drag performance: Heidi Ho and Mistress Victoria

* Zombie Make-Up artist at 8:30pm
* Silent Auction from 8:30-11pm
* Costume Contest at 11pm
* Dance party from 11-1am

First of all, I hope you’ll join all of us in wishing a fond farewell to our Communications Director, Rachel Hoffman, who is departing for the greener pastures of law school in North Dakota. Congratulations, Rachel!

And now, in the sparkling prose you have come to expect–nay, demand–from me, the basic information on the August shows. As always, more info can be found at www.patrickscabaret.org. Click on the calendar.

August 21st and 22nd Cabaret:

Marguerite Hanbery with “Gypsy Cello Music”

Brianna Belland performing “Alone/Together”

Music By Eric Moen

The Swiss Family Gorgunson, A new age comedy group

Dominic Hanft with the short film “First of the Month”

Dance by Joanie Mix

August 28th and 29th: An evening of hip-hop, breakin, spoken word, poppin, beatboxing, modern dance and singing.
Featuring choreography by Alanna Morris, Nicki Cullinan, Aneka McMullen, Debra McGee, Stephanie Shapso, Amy Sackett, and Arturo Miles. Poppin by Dancin Dave, music by Manboy, spoken word by Meta Def, singing by Alicia Steele. Beatboxing by Kailen Nelson.

Paulino  Brener, a teacher at the City of Lakes Waldorf School, a passionate artist, and frequent Patrick’s Cabaret guest-curator, has been doing theater and dance in the Twin Cities since 2001. This May 16 and 17 at 8 p.m., and May 17th at 2 p.m, he brings together talented local musicians, dancers, and poets to celebrate la cultura hispana. Nicolas Carter and his daughter Maliya Gorman-Carter  share folk music of Paraguay and Argentina, playing the harp, violin, and guitar. Dario Tangelson, an actor, director and teacher from Argentina, presents the mesmerizing “Dale que va,” in which a ghostly waiter character from a persistent past, stuck in time in a rundown bar from Buenos Aires, comments on life in general from the extreme gloomy logic of the tango spirit. Rebecca Mcdonals will present an original video based on a poem by local poet Teresa Ortiz. Jorge Gonzalez and Rachel Rogness, will perform guitar and violin pieces from Colombia, Argentina, Cuba and Spain. Corazón Latino will present traditional dances from the Northwest region of Argentina, as well as a modern dance which they have choreographed themselves. The trio “Raices” will demonstrate their dedication to the music of Latin America. And last but not least, Wendy Everett and her dance partner will present some traditional Mexican dances.
For more information, or to be put on Paulino’s mailing list, contact him at mail@paulino.info. Tickets will be available at the door, but can also be purchased online at paulino.info. See you there!

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=91069096280

Hopefully more info to come soon!

Now taking submissions for Queer Boys Nite at the Cabaret!
 5-15min sets, looking for dance,performance art,comedy, singin, if you
are a queer boy and have some work ready for the stage, let us know! The
dates of performance are Friday and Saturday, July 17-18. Please send
submissions to arturo@patrickscabaret.org.

“I am not dead yet/I can dance and I can sing/I am not dead yet/I can do the highland fling–”
Also, I can totally post info about upcoming chances for you to display your artistic prowess. I have mad updating skills like that.
Patrick’s Cabaret is looking for MN SHORT FILMS for it’s summer film series, “Movies in the Park (ing Lot)”. We need film/videos on the subject of Food/Health, Festivals, GLBT/Politics and Music Videos. Accepted shorts
films will be played before our the feature presentation, directors will be introduced and comp tickets to Patrick Cabaret will be given to the winning films as prizes. Please send dvds or web links to Mark Wojahn at xlart@comcast.net or 681 17th Ave NE #145 Mpls, MN 55413. DVD submissions will not be returned, there is no submission fee. DEADLINE MAY 14th, 2009.

Karis Sloss

1. What is it that you love most about the artistic work you do, and why?

I have wanted to choreograph since I was very young. My inspiration has always come from music. When I hear a great piece of music I am just flooded with movement ideas. I feel my work lives in the jazz genre of movement with breaths of other genres. I love the artistic work I do because I feel that it is accessible to audiences. I try to be eclectic in my pieces, so that they are completely different from each other. Audience members can usually find at least one piece that they can feel or relate to.

2. How is performing at Patrick’s Cabaret different from doing so at other venues?

This will be the first time we perform at Patrick’s and I am very excited to be a part of Kinetic Kitchen. I am excited to be a part of a collection of work along with other talented choreographers. It is different performing as a part of Kinetic Kitchen because in this production I am working only as the director and choreographer; I am not having to worry about everything else that goes into producing, as I do in our other productions.

3. What would you say are the major influences on your work?

I think that major influences in my choreography has to be music. Music is my number one influence with a close second being my company. They are so dedicated and present in all of our rehearsals. Putting chopreography on them and seeing how they respond and their passion is truly inspiring. Then I have to tip my hat to all of the choreographers who continue to have a huge influence on me: Jack Cole, Ben Fosse, Jerome Robbins, Garth Fagen, Zoe Sealy, Lewis Whitlock and Daniel Buraczeski.

4.What is one thing about yourself, your work, your philosophy, whatever, that you think should definitely make it into the blog post?

My philosophy in life is keep your dreams close, clear and keep pushing forward, don’t wait for them to happen, make it happen. I am lucky to have the dancers, composers, designers that give so much time, energy to my labor of love EEE. EEE is a close family. When you are lucky to find a group of dancers who are so passionate and dedicated everything else just falls into place. I want them to know how much I appreciate them, and I want to treat them with repect and gratitude. Any successes that EEE has goes to them.

Oh, yeah, this is Minnesota. *shivers* I have a friend who, whenever she’s cold, sings this little rhyme: “I’m a bald bunny and I got no fur, I’m a bald bunny, brr brr brr!”

…what? You expected me to have mentally stable friends?

In any case, to avoid the pitiable plight of the wretched bald bunny this weekend, you should hop on over to the Cabaret, which really warms up quick with the addition of a few dozen people’s body heat. You’ll forget it’s winter! Unless you, you know, look outside. Plus we’ll be serving hot coffee, and possibly hot cider. It’s really past hot cider season, but we had some last time, so we served it in proud defiance of the secret agents of the Cider Police. We’re edgy like that.

And in case the promise of heat is not enough to lure you into our grasp–though if it isn’t, really, I have to ask, did you have all of your sensory apparatus removed?–allow me to hand you our website’s outline for this weekend:

Anne and Kate Johnson                                                                                                                                                                                  Anne and Kate Johnson, The Mountain Mammas, will share the old-time music they have grown to love. While Anne and Kate have settled far from Appalachia physically, their hearts and voices will always be West Virginian. Brought up by the rivers and mountains they love to sing about, the sisters began singing in church and evolved into a harmonizing duo, playing original and traditional music anywhere from coffee shops to campfires. Although Anne and Kate are both songwriters, they enjoy singing old-time mountain music the most, and consider their Mountain Mamma act a tribute to their family and friends back home in the hills.

Mahmoud Hakima presenting “Uncivilized Stories in a Civilized World”

Confession: I don’t have a lot of detail available, so I don’t know what to expect from this show. Other than that it will rock, becasue Mahmoud Hakima is as talented an actor as you could hope to find. Brace yourselves for the awesome.

The Vibrant Ideal

The Vibrant Ideal is a group of energetic young adults who have formed together under the direction of Fringe-Encore Winner, John-Mark Hostetler, to perform cabaret style dance and vocal numbers. Between the ages of 18 and 21, The Vibrant Ideal are bringing the Minneapolis community a fresh new way to look at musical performance. The choreography is hip-hop uniquely infused with modern and enough energy to bring down the house. All performers are pursuing a dance or vocal performance major at the University of Minnesota.

“Sorry, I forgot”
Choreographed and Directed by Molly Stoltz with dancers:
Galen Higgins, Caleb Housely, Mackenzie Beck-Esmay,Lauren Baker,Yui Kanzawa
This original dance/dance theater work was created in collaboration with the cast of five dancers and the choreographer, based on their own experiences and how they interact as humans, and not necessarily artists, during rehearsals. All involved are current dance majors at the University of Minnesota.

The piece is inspired by the human quality of forgetfulness. Every day, it is inevitable that someone will forget something- whether it is their paper for a class, an anniversary, to pick up the kids from school, to turn off the burner, to lock the front door, or to put on their pants in the morning. Sometimes those moments are easily fixed, and at other times they are not easy to ignore. How do the dancers deal with the many faces of forgetfulness, and more importantly, how do they deal with each other’s mistakes? Sometimes, the best that anyone can do is laugh it off and move on.

IT’S MYRTLE TIME!
Uh-Oh, Myrtle has gotten lost again. Everybody’s favorite 85 year old gal has lost her way in the big wide world. While out on her way to meet her heavy set friend Mavis for coffee Myrtle Hansen’s Chevy takes a wrong turn and winds up at Patrick’s Cabaret, in the wrong side of town While wandering through the joint Myrtle shares tales of why she NEVER trusts doctors, why the bread at communion should be changed to Wonder Bread, why Mavis has been under observation for her corns and how her lawn got on fire. WHEW. Bless her heart this woman needs someone to get up and let her sit down and rest a spell.
Todd Jay created the character of Myrtle after years of stifling repressed laughter listening to his grandmother talk as well as countless other weird funny old women that have crossed his path. Let’s face it……..old women are funny and in their own way, charming.

Mattson-Kjell Zust
singer/songwriter/recluse/patron saint of jilted trophy wives, has been called the “Tammy Wynette of emo” for lack of a decent genre/category. clever wit over rustic guitar and an accent that no one can quite place run rampant throughout each hymn for broken things. Mattson-Kjell is currently finishing over 12 dozen new songs in hopes to release 3-4 new albums within in the next two years. He’s also really bad at writing about himself due to his crazy-swedish humility.

Also, in case you were wondering, the latest Fresh Fruit appearance went off great. I’m really enjoying this opportunity to bring more people news of the happenings here at the Cabaret. If you didn’t catch it, you can listen online at http://www.kfai.org/node/89.

Holy Mother of Roddenberry, I can go outside today without my fingers instantly freezing into blocks of ice! Am I still in Minnesota? Or has the cold finally just deadened my nerves to the point where I can feel no pain?

In addition to this crazy tropical heat wave of 33 degrees Fahrenheit, the month of February is bringing in two open-call cabarets. Call me cheesy (remembering, of course, that you do so at your own peril), but I really think the open-calls exemplify theater at its very best, the adventure and the unpredictability and the thrill of the unknown all compressed down into two hours of sheer awesomosity.

Whoa. I could take that previous paragraph, put in between two slices of bread, and call it a ham and cheese sandwich.

It’s still true.

Anway, the first open-call cabaret of the month will be on the 7th and 8th from 8 to 10 PM. If you are within hearing range of me at this point, you should probably cover your ears to shield the tympanic membrane from a volume of squee I normally reserve for a particularly fluffy Bobby/Alex Criminal Intent fanfic, because the line-up sounds amazing. Kats D. Fukasawa will be presenting “Secret Affair of a Cherry Tree,” Joan Calof will honor immigrants and the impact they have had on our country in ”Roots,” Irita Foucault will perform a song and dance extravaganza, there’ll be a dance choreographed by Denise Armstead, and the Halau Hula O Ka Hoku Akua hula school will present “Ke Alaula,” or “The Awakening.” 

Also, don’t forget that Patrick’s has a short guest-spot on KFAI Fresh Fruit (90.3 Minneapolis, 106.7 St. Paul) the second Thursday of every month now. I may not be able to make it this time (do try to stifle your sobs at the thought of being without my nervous stammerings) but I’ll do my best to make sure we get a guest or two to bring you exciting new info.

For more information on the artists and their acts, visit www.patrickscabaret.org and take a look at the calendar.