Feature: Gifts To Cabaret That Last All Year - Day Four

Earlier this year Eric Michael Gillett was honored by the American Songbook Association with the first-ever Darrell Henline Award. Eric (or EMG, as he prefers) has stated that he didn't, at first, understand why he was being honored, that he considered declining the tribute, but that, after hearing others talk about his work, his legacy, and the nature of the award, his eyes were opened as to how he is viewed by the community. It is that kind of attitude that makes it essential to honor such a man. It isn't that he doesn't know the value that his work brings to the industry, it's that he doesn't think about it. Eric Michael Gillett doesn't do any of what he does for any other reason than The Work. He performs, he directs, he teaches, he creates for The Work. When EMG is developing a cabaret show for himself or for a directing client, his eyes are trained on the storytelling, the production, the performance, the quality of art. When he is teaching, his focus is on assisting his students in reaching those places in their craft for which they strive - he is there to help them go beyond their own self-set boundaries to a performance level even they did not know lay within them. Eric Michael Gillett's focus is always going outward, never in, and that is a rare, fair quality in a person and an artist. There is no ego, there is no degree of self-involvement, there is only outward focus... on the other artists, on the audience, on the storytelling.

Unless it is a show for Benjamin House, his favorite charitable organization. Then, it is about all of that other stuff, and the money that he can raise. A longtime supporter of the North Carolina-based residence for those living with mental challenges, EMG puts on an annual Christmas show in New York City and in North Carolina, in order to raise funding for the residence. He asks his famous friends and colleagues to entertain audiences in his fundraising efforts and they always say yes, and the monies raised are considerable, and they are appreciated. The quality of the concerts, it should go without saying, is always of the highest caliber, but that can be said of every other Eric Michael Gillett show, whether it is a program for his own acting, or one he has helmed in order to place a client, student, or mentee into the best light. There is never an Eric Michael Gillett show that doesn't rise to the occasion, that doesn't meet the standards, that isn't exquisitely designed and executed. That is because this gentleman's (and gentle man's) focus is always outward, and never inward.

And that's the kind of person to whom people give awards, even when they don't understand why they deserve them, which is usually pretty good proof that they do, indeed, deserve them.

Read the Broadway World Cabaret review of an Eric Michael Gillett show HERE.

EMG's online presence is as follows:

Website: Click HERE.

Instagram: Click HERE.

Facebook: Click HERE and HERE.

IMDB: Click HERE.

Visit the website for Benjamin House HERE.

EMG's pronouns are He/Him/His

EMG's future projects include:

Closing in The Sound of Music at Papermill on January 1st. Several directing gigs ongoing, including the new Mandy Gonzalez concert which is just starting to tour. Not a lot of other upcoming projects that can be announced yet. In the opening episode of a new Amazon series (Title cannot be revealed at this time) Will be going back to the Brownville Concert Series for my 7th visit and my 4th Christmas show for them.

Photos by Stephen Mosher; Visit the Stephen Mosher website HERE.

To post a comment, you must register and login.