Originally intended for a bold and beautiful debut during Sydney Festival, but sideswiped by pesky border closures, the absolutely fabulous creative showcase of artists of colour We Are Here is finally ready to appear at Darlinghurst Theatre Company's Eternity Playhouse.
Running from April 7-11 at 7pm on weekdays and 5pm Sunday, the variety gala spectacular, featuring a diverse cast of indigenous, black and POC (IBPOC) performers, fields amazing cabaret, burlesque and circus acts including First Nations drag queen Tyra Bankstown, actor and presenter Nancy Denis, reigning DragNationAUS-winner Kween Kong, Kamilaroi acrobat, dancer and clown Dale Woodbridge-Brown, and drag king Malcolm XY. Co-director and cabaret queern Victoria Falconer is your host for the evening, with the smorgasbord of excellence assembled by collective The People of Cabaret.
Founder director and performer Miss Cairo says it’s vitally important to see more diversity on our stages. “To see ourselves reflected on stage, that is primarily why The People of Cabaret was created. I want people to know that we are here. We always have been, and I want people to feel the celebratory pride that we all feel just being ourselves.”
The People of Cabaret are committed to platforming and building up people of colour in the cabaret-adjacent industries, ensuring hungry audiences get to see fabulous acts, rightfully centred on our stages in a non-tokenistic way. “We want audiences to feel uplifted and entertained while acknowledging that stories have been told and songs and dances have been performed on these lands for thousands of years, and artists of colour have always been part of the industry,” Cairo adds.
Tickets start from $39, but there are also a bunch of pay-what-you-can held back every night for folks who face social barriers to attending theatre, especially those who identify as IBPOC, transgender and gender diverse. To access these tickets, you can contact the venue directly at jacqueline@darlinghursttheatre.com.
Leila Enright, head of new writing at the Darlo, says she can’t wait to welcome The People of Cabaret back to the venue, after their magnificent involvement in Bloom Festival last year. “We are so proud to be partnering with them for the second time, gathering the stars of our national cabaret scene to deliver a line-up of scintillating drag, circus and live music. It is our joy and privilege to work with directors Miss Cairo and Victoria Falconer to give Sydney a show they won’t forget.”
