May 2013. A bit over two years after attending the first Cabaret Summer School, I've got my own solo show coming up in June, in the Adelaide Cabaret Fringe Festival. I am in possession of an "Artist Agreement" - the first one I've ever had. My show is at La Boheme.
It's the Brazilian-themed show that I originally wanted - called "Adventures with a Brazilian". It's the story of my obsession with Bossa Nova and the sticky situations it has landed me in. The "Brazilian" of course is the composer Tom Jobim.
All the songs in this show are by Jobim. I had a hard time selecting them - there are so many I'd like to have included. Emma Knights, one of the pianists in our group at this year's Cabaret Summer School, is going to accompany me.
Suddenly, all the advice from Cabaret Summer School about publicity has become crucial.
There is so much to attend to. I've had 1000 flyers printed and most of them have already gone out into the world. On Sunday night at Cabaret Live! it felt very strange to see my big full-colour poster on the wall next to the bar. I've seen so many flyers on tables at La Boheme - and this time it was my turn to have flyers on the tables, and to spruik my show from the stage.
Chatting that night with Annie Morris, Director of the Cabaret Fringe Festival, we marvel at the number and calibre of artists and shows that have been spawned by the La Boheme "mother ship".
It's one thing to send out your publicity; it's quite another to get "bums on seats" - people need to be motivated to go online and buy tickets. I'm realizing that it's going to take quite a lot of effort to make sure I fill the venue. A festival does encourage people to go out and see some shows, but there is a lot of competition. I'm one of thirty acts in the Cabaret Fringe Festival. Running concurrently will be the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, which includes performances by Broadway stars. My shows are on a Sunday afternoon and a Thursday evening - hopefully there won't be a timing clash. Then there is all the other competition - the other things in peoples' lives. Family functions, work commitments, holidays away, feeling too tired to go out, cold winter nights when people prefer to stay in. You have to reach a lot of people in order to draw an audience. I've seen plenty of good shows in half-empty venues.
And if it takes all this work to promote a show in Adelaide, where a lot of people know me, how am I going to drum up an audience in Rio?
In these open-access festivals the artist is completely at risk and responsible for everything. You're a sort of entrepreneur. You pay for everything - venue, publicity, musicians, rehearsals, costumes - and you get whatever is left over. There's no guarantee you will receive anything - it might even cost you money. So you need to manage your budget carefully and make sure you do fill those seats. It makes me curious about the economics of large-scale musicals, with numerous performers, elaborate set, props, special effects and costumes. I suppose there are economies of scale in a 2000-seat venue, with a season of several weeks, but you have to wonder about the profitability.
Less than a month to go, and the show is coming together. The rehearsal dates are set and there's lots of fine-tuning to do. I'm so excited to have my own show at last.
What seemed impossibly audacious two years ago now feels like the logical next step. When you keep putting one foot in front of the other, it can be a surprise when you look back and see how far you've travelled.
If you're in Adelaide and would like to come to the show (PLEASE COME TO MY SHOW!) , it's at La Boheme on Sunday 2 June at 2.30 and Thursday 13 June at 6 pm. Here's the link for bookings:
http://www.cabaretfringefestival.com/adventures-with-a-brazilian-tickets/
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