Shows now on sale!

Queen of Cabaret, Dolly Diamond has taken the reins of this year’s Melbourne Cabaret Festival bringing together ten Australian premiere shows along with some of the best new talent, Tuesday 20 June until Sunday 2 July 2017.

“At last I can reveal the fabulous line-up for this year’s Melbourne Cabaret Festival”, says Dolly Diamond, Artistic Director.

“It's full of homegrown Australian talent with a huge amount of new works. It was important for me this year to draw on the talented artists who live and work in Australia, just as I do. I'm a great admirer of artists working all around the world but I felt it was time to focus on the performers who are the backbone of Australian cabaret.”

“I believe we have put together a program with massive audience appeal and for me that's what cabaret is all about. I'm looking forward to seeing you all at Chapel Off Chapel when June rolls around, so be sure to get your tickets early and support the festival that supports Australian cabaret.”

New development program for Victorian performers

The Melbourne Cabaret Festival has announced a new initiative to support the Victorian cabaret sector.

It’s inviting new shows by Victorian performers to take part in a groundbreaking development program.

The program sees the festival providing tangible and practical support for local performers by providing the tools needed to take new works on to festivals throughout Australia and overseas.

Up to eight shows will be selected and programmed for five-night seasons at Chapel Off Chapel’s two venues in late June. They’ll receive:

-       free venue hire and a share of ticket revenue

-       free venue tech equipment and professional staffing (techs, front-of-house and venue staff)

-       a free promotional toolkit to support each production including

o   a professional photo shoot

o   an advertising campaign

o   a tailored media release and publicist

o   professional marketing advice

o   a set of graphic templates

o   street banner advertising

o   professionally designed and printed posters and flyers

o   a city-wide distribution strategy

The package is valued at around $10,000 per show.

Cabaret shows that appeal to children are also encouraged to apply.

Submissions are due by the end of the year and decisions will be made in January. Existing eligible shows which have already applied to be part of the Melbourne Cabaret Festival will automatically be considered for this program – there is no need to re-apply.

Click here to submit.