The Manhattan Association of Cabarets (MAC) announces the tenth year of its MAC TO SCHOOL weekend event. The two-day interactive cabaret symposium features master classes, panel discussions, workshops, and showcases, and will be held Saturday and Sunday, September 27 & 28, at Don’t Tell Mama and Studios 353 in Manhattan.
MAC TO SCHOOL is open to MAC members and non-members.
- Flat registration fee for MAC members: $100
- Registration fee for non-MAC members: $175, or join MAC for only $65 (basic level) for a full-year membership to take advantage of the deeply discounted MAC member price of only $100 for the entire MAC TO School weekend (as well as discounts to other MAC events throughout the year!).
The registration fee is good for admission to all MAC To School events. Tuition is the same regardless of how many sessions you attend. Register early, as opportunities to participate in interactive sessions are determined on a first come, first served basis!
Registration closes Sept. 26.
Complete schedule follows.
Saturday, September 27th
9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Don’t Tell Mama, 343 West 46th St., New York, NY 10036
9-9:30 a.m., Registration
Join the MAC Board of Directors in the piano bar at Don’t Tell Mama to register for MAC To School. Receive your schedule of events, socialize with your fellow MAC To School attendees.
9:30-11 a.m., Director/Singer: Synergy x 5 with James Beaman, Karen Kohler, Jennie Litt, Gretchen Reinhagen, and Geoff Stoner
5 singers, two alternates. Prepare and memorize one (1) song. Please bring chart or score in your preferred key. Scores should have chord symbols.
In this workshop, five directors will be randomly paired with five singers to collaborate in real time on one song of the singers’ choosing. Each director has a unique working style, aesthetic, and creative fingerprint; each singer has a unique presence and take on their song. The magic happens when director and performer work in complement to refine and realize the song’s potential in the singer’s voice. See how different directors bring out subtext, clarify storytelling, utilize lights and blocking, and brainstorm musical ideas to enhance a singer’s performance. MD: Matthew Martin Ward.
11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Panel Discussion: The Wide World of Cabaret Repertoire: Choosing It, Sleuthing It Out, & Making It Your Own
The Great American Songbook, traditional folk songs, selections from musical theatre, novelty vaudeville numbers, classic rock, contemporary pop, Brazilian bossa, the sly satire of Weimar-era Kabarett—all these and more find their home on today’s cabaret stages. Cabaret is a tradition, an ever-evolving art form, and a living archive of song. Join collector/archivist Michael Lavine, European songstress Karen Kohler, that daring master of the mashup Lennie Watts, song historian Chip Deffaa, veteran pop-jazz swinger Jane Scheckter, and moderator Jeff Harnar in a wide-ranging discussion of all things repertoire-related.
2-6:45 p.m. Studio 1 at Studios 353, 353 West 48th St., 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10036
2-2:45 p.m. Head-To-Toe Body Warmup For Singers with Mary Lahti
What’s that attached to your voice? That’s right, the rest of your body! You warm up your voice but your body needs to be warmed up as well to maximize performance potential. This fun head-to-toe body warmup session will help you focus; increase circulation, mobility and flexibility; boost positive energy; and reduce tension. No matter your level of mobility, you’ll leave refreshed. Dress comfortably and bring water! Five-minute movement routine and resource guide provided at session’s end.
3-4:30 p.m. The Arrangement Experience with Lennie Watts
4 singers, 1 alternate. Prepare and memorize one (1) classic song from the Golden Age of Broadway. Please bring chart or score in your preferred key. Scores should have chord symbols. Prepare and memorize one (1) backup song as well.
What happens when you take classic songs from The Golden Age of Broadway and give them a new point of view and a fresh new arrangement? That’s what you will be exploring in The Arrangement Experience. Select a song that you know fairly well. Bring a backup just in case. MD: Tracy Stark.
4:45-6:45 p.m. Cabaret Performance Master Class with Nicolas King
5 singers, 2 alternates. Prepare and memorize one (1) song. Please bring chart or score in your preferred key. Scores should have chord symbols.
He’s been performing since the age of 4. He toured the country as Liza Minnelli’s opening act. He’s shared stages with Carol Burnett, Andrea McArdle, Linda Lavin, and Tom Selleck. Winner of Broadway World, Bistro, Julie Wilson, and Noel Coward Cabaret Awards, swinging sensation Nicolas King brings his years of experience, firecracker enthusiasm, and expert eye to MAC To School as Master Teacher. Five singers will work with Nicolas to fine-tune their work on a song of their choosing. MD: Tracy Stark.
Sunday, September 28th
9:30 a.m.-1:45 p.m. at Don’t Tell Mama, 343 West 46th St., New York, NY 10036
9:30-11 a.m. Reimagining Iconic Recordings with Kim David Smith and Tracy Stark
4 singers, 1 alternate. Prepare and memorize one of the following songs in your key of choice:
- The Beatles: I Am the Walrus, I Want to Hold Your Hand
- Kate Bush: Running up that Hill
- Bobby Darrin: Mack the Knife
- Little Eva: The Loco-Motion
- Madonna: La Isla Bonita, Material Girl
- Elvis Presley: Heartbreak Hotel
- The Rolling Stones: Miss You
- Britney Spears: Baby, One More Time
Some songs are so inextricably associated with a particular artist’s recording that it’s hard to imagine what we could bring to a live performance to make them sound fresh. Neo-Weimar star and Joe’s Pub regular Kim David Smith and his longtime musical collaborator Tracy Stark have overcome this challenge time and time again. Using a combination of lyric exploration, psychological analysis, stylistic experimentation, alternative road-mapping, tempo shifts, and other creative approaches, Kim and Tracy will work with 4 singers to reimagine a short-list of songs with iconic recordings to reflect each singer’s unique vision and performance style/persona.
11:15-12:30 p.m. Songs of Social Change Showcase hosted by Tanya Moberly
It is said that if you put three people in a room, you have politics. If you put three songwriters in a room, you have politics set to music: songs of protest, satire, conscience, hope, and social change. In these times of heightened political awareness, you might want to slip a “message” song into your next show! Choose from a double handful of original songs of social change by our talented community of cabaret songwriters, performed live, and interspersed with songwriter interviews by host Tanya Moberly. Sheet music will be available for interested singers after the show. Musical director: Dan Furman.
1-1:45 p.m. Lunchtime Session: Let the People Know: Using Meta Tools to Promote Your Event with Jason Ellis
Bring your lunch to the Brick Room at Don’t Tell Mama and level up your promotional skills while you eat! In this session, you’ll learn strategies to maximize the potential of Facebook and Instagram to get butts in seats at your next show. This short presentation will review and reveal the secrets of using social media for promotion; the pros and cons of personal vs. professional pages; gaming Instagram and Facebook algorithms to effectively propagate your messaging; what kinds of posts to create; how to make the most of boosts and paid advertising; and how to plan a campaign with Facebook’s professional dashboard.
2-6 p.m., Studio 1 at Studios 353, 353 West 48th St., 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10036
2-3:15 p.m. How To Get A Good Review: The Cabaret Press in Conversation
The cabaret press is hiding in plain sight. We may not make Page 6 these days, but there’s nevertheless a robust and highly opinionated phalanx of writers out there, reviewing and writing commentary on the vital art of cabaret. Five high-profile members of the cabaret press will discuss the state of cabaret journalism today, what the art form looks like from their perspective, the unique lens through which they review shows, best practices for performers seeking reviews, and more. With “Woman Around Town” blogger Alix Cohen, Cabaret Scenes editor-in-chief Frank Dain, the Wall Street Journal’s Will Friedwald, Elysa Gardner of The New York Times, and Bistro Awards writer Gerry Geddes; moderated by NiteLife Exchange publisher/editor-in-chief Scott Barbarino.
3:30—5:45 p.m. Timing Is Everything: A Master Class with Sharon McNight
6 singers, 2 alternates. Prepare and memorize a ballad and a comedy song. Bring charts or scores in your preferred key. Scores should have chord symbols.
Sharon says: “The saying goes, the most important thing about comedy is timing. But comedy doesn’t get to claim timing exclusively. In fact, the most important thing about any form of performing is timing. A pause or ritard in a ballad can have serious consequences. So can the right hand gesture at the right time, or using a mic stand as opposed to holding the mic—or knowing when to keep your mouth shut and just sing the song. If you don’t have the ‘gift of gab’ then rehearse your spontaneity. I know dying is easy and comedy is hard—that’s why beginners always have ballad-heavy shows. There are so many different types of comedy. What makes you laugh? So bring a couple of songs for me to choose from—ballads and witty tunes. I’m not afraid.” MD: James Followell.
* * * * *
Auditor vs. Participant
You can audit the entirety of MAC To School and have a fantastic experience! However, there are, in addition, five interactive workshops with a limited number of slots available for participating singers. Participants will be chosen on a first come, first served basis.
*Artists, panelists, and presenters subject to change.*
*Depending upon enrollment, singing in master classes and workshops is not guaranteed.*
Read Presenter bios