Daily Sitka Sentinel

Cabaret to Have New Acts, Medieval Theme

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    Organizers and performers at the Ramshackle Cabaret challenge themselves to make each year’s variety show better than the last, with creative themes, new acts and inspired scenery.
    They will once again take it up a notch this year, with a Middle Ages-inspired theme, in “Tournament of Kinks.”
    Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Centennial Hall, with food, music and other entertainment. The show starts at 9 p.m. each night.
    The variety show is for 21 and older, with the material aimed at adults with adult themes and language. It includes music, comedy and dance, but the show is best known for the burlesque acts.
    For those who need a better description of this year’s theme, organizers say it’s a bit of the zaniness of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” combined with the fantastical world of “Game of Thrones.”
    “It’s medieval – old school, with bards, lords and ladies,” said performer Serena Wild.
    The theme was the most popular from among past and present cast members during a brainstorming session, but the execution has been more challenging than performers expected.
    That didn’t turn out to be a bad thing.
    “People really had to dig deep,” said Emily Reilly, the stage manager. “It has turned out to be really interesting and fun because of that challenge.”
    “It sounded easy and fun,” agreed co-director Teal Gordon. “It started with Arthurian legend, but it morphed into our own theme.”
    The inherent problem with the theme is the dominance of men in the Arthurian and other medieval stories, which isn’t really in line with the Ramshackle Cabaret’s mission to support women and reproductive health for all.
    “We flipped the script to make it more in line with our mission statement,” Wild said.
    “It was a cool exercise, and it made us think outside the box in order to keep it in line with our mission statement,” Gordon said.

    The Ramshackle Cabaret was founded “with a rebellious spirit with the goal to provide our community with provocative entertainment,” the organization’s Facebook page says. “It is a platform for local volunteers to showcase their untapped, and often unconventional, talents. We exist to support reproductive and sexual health and all proceeds will go to support this cause.”
    The cabaret raised $13,000 last year, and over $50,000 for the first five years of the event, for Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and Hawaiian Islands. The nonprofit family planning agency has a goal of providing “high-quality, affordable reproductive health care for women, men, and teens.” Although there is no longer a Planned Parenthood office here, Sitka residents can still take advantage of services offered by the organization.
    “When the clinic here closed, we had to think about, ‘where does the money go?’” Producer Hillary Seeland said. “That forced us to hone in on ‘what is our purpose, why are we doing this.’ It’s fun. We link everything together to unify around a greater cause.”
    The Cabaret now operates under the Sitka nonprofit organization Artchange, Inc,, with eyes on creating a model that other communities can use around the themes of empowering women and girls, said Seeland.

    The show challenges both performers and audience members to get out of their comfort zones with a style of entertainment rarely seen in Sitka. There are a number of strip tease acts by women, with the men turning in their own Chippendale-style act this year. They said men support women in many ways in the show, but this is taking it to a new level with four men putting on a male striptease act.
    “That’s going to be really cool,” Gordon said.
    There will also be a Sitka Cirque act on a lyra (a big hoop), musical acts, dance performances, a roller skate act (called here the “Dragonslayers”), and some stand-up comedy.

    Performers go all-out on costumes, and the audience is invited to dress up in line with the theme.
    For her act, Wild will dress as a traditional housemaid/wine bearer, wine pourer, but she also has fun with the medieval theme involving witches.
    Wild described the burlesque acts, like her own, as a “slow tease, slowly revealing bits and pieces of your body.”
    “It’s more about the tease, than the reveal,” agreed Reilly.
    The mood of the show is mostly light and comedic, and the audience is a vocally supportive one, with each act greeted by cheers and encouragement. The three dozen performers on stage are supported by more than 100 volunteers working backstage, building sets, sewing costumes, creating decorations and helping performers fine-tune their acts. The feeling behind the show has always been positive, organizers said.
    “There is so much giving,” Seeland said. “We put together a really beautiful show full of passion and love.”
    Audience members are invited to arrive before the show to listen to the band Balkan Conspirators, see some aerial silks improv or have a Tarot card reading. Pasties from Our Town Catering, and other food from vendors, will be available for purchase, as well as beer and wine at the bar. The after party Saturday at the Mean Queen will feature the band Dirty Skis.
    The show is co-directed by Christian Litten. The emcee is Chris Turner, and the artistic director is Nicola Trainor.
    The show usually sells out. Tickets are on sale for $25 at Old Harbor Books. VIP tickets are already gone. Those with questions may call Gordon at 738-0517 or Seeland at 952-0574.