Previous Offerings
Festival 2023
The Sandman and Flacco
Forevelyn
Steve "The Sandman" Abbott & Paul "Flacco" Livingston exhume the scattered remains of their own characters in 'Forevelyn': a touching tribute to themselves, the men behind themselves, and the two women behind the men behind themselves.
Combining stand-up comedy and sit-down musings, these two legends of Australian comedy share stories, readings, and revelations regarding their fictional creations, including the never before revealed contributions of their deceased mothers (both named Evelyn).
Their beloved alter egos, The Sandman & Flacco, have their own views on these matters of the heart and are on hand to offer advice to their aging creators. Both of their egos, altered or otherwise, are survived by the skin of their teeth, elevated toilet seats and the age pension.
Featuring sublimely adequate musical talents and original songs trumpeting their slow demise into irrelevance and beyond.
Festival Club Variety Show
After our mainstage show, Ballarat Cabaret Festival kicks on till late with the Festival Club.
Drinks, music, and cabaret fabulousness! Featuring operatic cabaret sweetheart Issie Hart, plus extra special guest entertainers and other surprises.
Festival 2022
​Online Szalons
to brighen up the Lockdowns
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November Szalon 2021
Fog Theatre Takeover
Fog Theatre is a dynamic and diverse performing arts program for adults with disability where members explore and develop skills in drama, acting, singing, improvisation, script, dance, movement and choreography in a socially, creatively and culturally inclusive, safe and welcoming environment, supported by highly experienced inclusive arts practitioners and accessibility specialists.
​Fog Theatre’s bold artistic practice and culture of inclusivity embeds creative leadership development opportunities and nurtures vital pathways to further artistic collaborations, partnerships and exchanges across industries and sectors, as well as the production and presentation of numerous critically successful theatre and film works since its formation in 1991.
October Szalon 2021
Dark Legend - Patrick Bath
Internationally acclaimed writer, director, actor, musician, teacher
and clown, Ballarat's dark treasure Patrick Bath has worked professionally world wide for over twenty years with acts including the Dead Salesmen and the Dirty Brothers Dark Party.
Patrick is a isa member of The League of Sideshow superstars and a regular performer with The Australian Shakespeare Company.
Wholesomely terrifying - Clara Cupcakes
Burlesque dropout, vaudevillian vagabond, fanatic flailer, raconteur & cute-as-fuck clown, Clara Cupcakes is bringing vaudeville back and them other rubes don’t know how to act.
This bearcat will have you in stitches with her insane antics before you can say horsefeathers. Dancer, madcap flapper, gin soaked floozy, complete and utter clown, you’ll go positively doolally for Clara Cupcakes.
Gothic Royalty - Immacualta
From seedy goth lounges to movie sets, since the 1990's Immaculata have brought their own flavour of the dark side of electronica to variously adorned creatures of the night.
Mixing in a touch of camp new-romantic sensibility they are a cocktail worthy of Halloween.⠀⠀
Ballarat's Cabaret Queen - Nellie Minnelli
Ballarat born and bred with a theatrical career spanning 30 years, Nellie Minelli has worked in cabaret, classical dance, musical theatre, vaudeville, and comedy.
A trailblazer of variety performance, Nellie founded the first and only regional burlesque and vaudeville school here in Ballarat.
Nellie is a performer, choreographer, production manager, stage manager, director, producer and mentor. Nellie is incredibly passionate about cabaret and firmly believes that live entertainment is needed now more than ever.
Operatic Cabaret Sweetheart - Issie Hart
Purveyor of Charm, Issie Hart (They/Them) is an award winning soprano and creator of radical cabaret works that have toured extensively across Australia and internationally.
Hart’s work has been described as ‘The Rarest of things... Theatre that mattered’ Arts Hub Australia and ‘Radical, Transgressive Chic’ The Guardian, UK.
Hart was part of the creative development team of award winning circus cabaret show, Rouge and toured with the show for 3 years.
Hart has also received a number of awards in prestigious Australian classical singing competitions. Hart has worked in theatre, opera, independent film, community radio and television. ‘Gutsy and Likeable’ Cameron Woodhead – The Age.
“Hart is amazing, she projects a voice better than any I’ve heard this (Edinburgh) festival. I loved it." - ScotsGay
September Szalon 2021
The Incredible Trevor Jones!
Trevor Jones is one of Australia's leading Piano Bar entertainers and cabaret performers. He has performed to great acclaim in cabaret venues around Australia and around the world.
Trevor has hosted the Piano Bar for Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Melbourne Cabaret Festival, Ballarat Cabaret Festival and the Parlour Piano Bar New Zealand. He has hosted regular piano bar nights at Butterfly Club Melbourne, Doo-Bop Jazz Bar, Brisbane and Austin Club, Christchurch.
Trevor regularly performs at Piano Bar Geelong and Ballarat.
Tash York is a multi-award-winning singer, improviser, cabaret performer, producer, podcaster and Emcee!
Known for her ballsy voice, dynamic energy and an uncanny ability to rap on command, Tash “is a phenomenal performer, charismatic and courageous” (Theatre People).
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Tash has performed to sold-out audiences at Perth Fringe World, Adelaide Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, Melbourne Cabaret Festival, Ballarat Cabaret Festival, Brisbane Wonderland Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival and many more.
You’ll find her at almost every major festival performing her solo comedy cabaret shows or onstage as the resident host of The After Hours Cabaret Club.
The Hilarious Tash York
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Ballarat's Own - Dandyman
Dandyman - Welcome to the wonderfully wacky and absurd world of Australia’s front man of Circus & Physical Comedy.
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Join Award winning, five star, International icon of idiocy, Daniel Oldaker aka “Dandyman” as he presents a not to be missed online Odyssey full of magical moments and preposterous possibilities.
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Whether on screen or stage Dandyman transforms the dull into the delectable and creates sensational visual symphonies engaging circus & physical comedy.
Come on the journey and discover another world waiting for you to be immersed and amazed.
Operatic Cabaret Sweetheart Issie Hart (They/Them) is an award winning soprano and creator of radical cabaret works that have toured extensively across Australia and internationally.
Hart’s work has been described as ‘The Rarest of things... Theatre that mattered’ Arts Hub Australia and ‘Radical, Transgressive Chic’ The Guardian, UK.
Hart was part of the creative development team of award winning circus cabaret show, Rouge and toured with the show for 3 years.
Hart has also received a number of awards in prestigious Australian classical singing competitions. Hart has worked in theatre, opera, independent film, community radio and television. ‘Gutsy and Likeable’ Cameron Woodhead – The Age.
“Hart is amazing, she projects a voice better than any I’ve heard this (Edinburgh) festival. I loved it." - ScotsGay
Purveyor of Charm - Issie Hart
Ballarat's Cabaret Queen - Nellie Minnelli
Ballarat born and bred with a theatrical career spanning 30 years, Nellie Minelli has worked in cabaret, classical dance, musical theatre, vaudeville, and comedy.
A trailblazer of variety performance, Nellie founded the first and only regional burlesque and vaudeville school here in Ballarat.
Nellie is a performer, choreographer, production manager, stage manager, director, producer and mentor. Nellie is incredibly passionate about cabaret and firmly believes that live entertainment is needed now more than ever.
The Incomparable Geraldine Quinn!
Rock comedy singer, actor, writer and sparkle warrior Geraldine Quinn has been performing her award-winning original pop/rock cabaret around the world for a decade.
Quinn has appeared on Spicks and Specks, Adam Hills Tonight, Upper Middle Bogan, Hamish & Andy's True Story, Rockwiz, Whovians, When TV Was Awesome and provided singing vocals for Get Krack!n. She has been a cabaret judge for Short + Sweet, Melbourne Fringe Festival and the Green Room Awards Association's cabaret panel.
In 2013, Stranger debuted in Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and she took You’re the Voice to Western Australia, Tasmania, Queensland, regional Victoria, New Zealand and Adelaide Fringe.
