Chicago Cabaret Professionals To Present 4th Annual EMERGING ARTIST SHOWCASE in August

Chicago Cabaret Professionals will host its 4th Annual Emerging Artist Showcase on August 14 at 7:30 p.m. at Epiphany Center for the Arts. The event will feature five finalists performing three-song sets as they compete for the Denise Tomasello Cabaret Scholarship Award, which supports the production of their first solo cabaret show.

This year’s finalists include Aurora Jeanne Boe, Christopher Cayari, Lauren Lassen, Mrs. Yuka Layme, and Helen Smith. A panel of judges will select the winner of the $1,000 scholarship. The concert will also include a performance by 2024 Emerging Artist Showcase winner Ken Fobs, who debuted his first solo cabaret show in December 2024.

The Showcase is the culmination of a two-month mentorship process. Each finalist has worked closely with experienced Chicago Cabaret Professionals members, receiving one-on-one coaching on performance presentation and patter. Mentors this year include Anne Pringle Burnell, Hilary Feldman, Cathy Glickman, Carla Gordon, and Michael Joseph Mitchell. Rehearsals were led by Music Director Mark Burnell.

“The Showcase is designed to give each performer mentorship from experienced cabaret artists to develop, produce and market a cabaret show,” said Ellen Winters Reynolds, the event’s producer and master of ceremonies. “Mentorship is so much a part of the cabaret community and one of the core missions of Chicago Cabaret Professionals.”