Burt Reynolds Institute for Film and Theatre's Cabaret Camp Showcase with Avery Sommers Now Set for 8/26

Donna Carbone, Managing Director of the Burt Reynolds Institute for Film and Theatre (Institute), announced a date change for the Cabaret Camp Showcase to be presented at the Lake Park Mirror Ballroom, inside the Lake Park Town Hall. "We apologize for the confusion. Coordinating the many details that go into a show can be daunting," she said when explaining why changes had to be made.

On August 26 at 7:30 pm, well-known Broadway star and cabaret singer Avery Sommers will direct the second Cabaret Camp Showcase - an evening of scenes and songs from popular and much-loved shows. All of the performers in the Showcase will be trained by Sommers in her six-week Cabaret Camp presently underway. Many are new to live performance but, thanks to Sommers' excellent training, they are now dreaming of "strutting their stuff" on the Great White Way.

In announcing this summer offering, BRIFT Managing Director Donna Carbone said, "Avery, who has been a big part of the BRIFT family for many years, taught a workshop in 2013. I am still getting rave reviews from people who attended the closing showcase and have already reserved tickets for this year's show. "

On Broadway, Sommers starred in three highly-regarded and much loved shows -- Ain't Misbehavin', Chicago, and Showboat. She has been featured in national tours of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas opposite Ann-Margaret and Chicago with Chita Rivera and Joel Grey. Earlier this year, she appeared in Dividing the Estate at Palm Beach Dramaworks in West Palm Beach.

Sommers is equally comfortable on the big screen and on television as she is on stage. She appeared on Miami Vice and in many episodes of B.L. Stryker, which starred her mentor and friend, Burt Reynolds. In a recent interview, Sommers talked about her relationhip with the man who is known for dedication to the performing arts -- "I met Mr. Reynolds when Charles Nelson Reilly cast me in Whose Life Is It Anyway, a play being done at the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theater. He was so supportive and came to all of our rehearsals. He has been a great mentor to me. I think he is a wonderful actor and I am so happy to call him a dear friend."

Avery Sommers recently completed work on the new television series Tweet, bringing the role of Prudence Wildflower to life. The show, which is in pre-production, is scheduled to air this summer. On the popular soap opera, As the World Turns, Sommers created the role of Regina Darby.

Her film credits include The Man from Left Field with Burt Reynolds, Letters to God, Mysterious, Lost Everything and Hiding Victoria. While in Monte Carlo in 2011, she won the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in Immigration Tango.

In 1994 Sommers won a best-actress Carbonell Award for her one-woman autobiographical show But Not for Me. She was also nominated for her 2011 performance in Hairspray, which was presented at the Actors Playhouse in Coral Gables.

Cabaret Camp Showcase will be held at the Lake Park Mirror Ballroom inside the Lake Park Town Hall - 535 Park Avenue, Lake Park, Florida on Tuesday evening, August 26, at 7:30 p.m. For information or to reserve a ticket, please call 561 743-9955.