Review: Learning From The Best At 92NY SUMMER CABARET CONFERENCE With Faith Prince

Last week, The 92nd Street Y, New York held its inaugural weeklong intensive in the art of cabaret, led by Tony Award-winner and Broadway legend Faith Prince (who happens to be this cabaret writer’s performance mentor), and award-winning cabaret performer and historian Michael Kirk Lane. Musical Directors Alex Rybeck and Yasuhiko (Yaz) Fukuoka were also on hand to provide accompaniment and guidance for the singers. The week included panel discussions with some of the industry’s best in the business including Natalie Douglas, Jeff Harnar, Carolyn Montgomery, Sidney Myer, Tracy Stark, Billy Stritch, Jennifer Ashley Tepper, and Darnell White, as well as working sessions for the participants to hone their craft and empower them to showcase the most authentic version of themselves on stage. When given the opportunity to sit in on a couple of classes during the conference, I simply had to say yes!

The first session I audited was the Music Director (MD) Panel, featuring some of New York’s busiest MDs - Alex Rybeck, Tracy Stark, Billy Stritch and Darnell White. Moderated by Micheal Kirk Lane, the panelists shared tales of their humble beginnings before discussing the ins and outs of working with a MD. Tracy Stark spoke of working in the piano bars when she first got to New York; Darnell White shared how he was the great-great grandson of a slave, and lucky enough to grow up in a brownstone in Harlem after his grandfather had moved there in 1931. Under his grandfather’s influence, he grew up listening to Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughn and was inspired to take up music. Billy Stritch shared that he was born and raised in Sugar Land, a small town in Texas, and his first job was playing in the piano bar of a local country club at age 15. He eventually moved to Houston where he started working with Marilyn Maye at age 19! Alex Rybeck shared how he was inspired by his dad, who was a highly skilled pianist. Though he mostly played classical repertoire, he would also play musical theater compositions by the likes of Rodgers and Hammerstein, which captivated Rybeck. He spoke of his 41-year working relationship with Jeff Harnar, and how seeing Karen Mason singing at The Duplex inspired him to pursue work as a musical director for cabaret. This was the perfect segue into discussing the ins and outs of collaborating with MDs.

Lane kicked off this portion of the panel by asking what MDs need from singers at open mics like Jim Caruso's Cast Party. Billy Stritch said, “Music taped accordion style, or front and back in a book – it’s surprising how many singers come to these things unprepared. Know the tempo you want, know your key, mark your pages up clearly, let us know where you slow down (etc.)… Charts or lead sheets with lyrics are immensely helpful.” A participant noted that a lot of MDs seem to use iPads now, to which Tracy Stark suggested singers come prepared to send a pdf, scan or photo of the music.

Participants asked what the rehearsal process is for a show – and the answer was clear – every collaboration is different; every person’s process is different. Work out what is best for you and communicate that. Faith Prince also added, “Get a director!”, which Darnell White echoed.

The conversation then moved to the issue of remuneration for MDs and musicians, to which the unanimous answer was to be upfront about what you need and you can negotiate from there. Other handy hints included tipping your sound person and the bar staff after the show. Alex Rybeck’s final nugget was, “collaboration is key and remember, the Director and MD are there to serve you.”

The next morning’s session had originally been slated as “Crafting Patter” but, upon arrival, I learned the session was going to be focused on song repertoire and dissecting the meaning of lyrics. Ten of the participants were selected to perform a song for this session. Each singer was tasked with monologuing their lyrics first. This enabled performers to unlock the meaning in the lyrics. As each performer stepped up, Faith would ask a series of prompts designed to get the performers focused:

“What time of year is it? What day of the week? Think of the light. Are there any smells in the air? What is the temperature? Are you inside or outside? Why now? Why this song? What just happened?”

Each singer dissected the lyrics and then performed the song utilizing the thought process Faith gave them, and the results were delicious to watch. For example, after Dawn Derow finished performing her version of Annie Ross’ 1952 song “Twisted” the audience cheered as it was clear that the monologue work she had done just prior to singing had opened up the song for Derow in a whole new way and she made it her own. Prince added, “Discovery is your friend.”

Hannah Jane, one of New York cabaret’s youngest up and coming performers, got up to perform “There’s A Chance” from Saturday Night. Upon finishing her monologue of the piece,  Prince said, “I want you to remember something. You are enough.” At this point, tears began streaming down the young actress's face, as Prince had unlocked what had been holding her back. Hannah Jane’s resulting performance was transformative, her delivery vulnerable, and natural. And in that moment, she proved she is more than enough! 

Perhaps one of the most hilarious performances of the day came from Andrew Morrissey, a Canadian born cabaret artist whom I met twelve years ago when we both participated in what was once the International Cabaret Conference at Yale. The song he chose to dissect was “Pre-natal Course” by Jim Betts, an hilarious number about giving birth. While his first rendition was very funny, it was after Prince suggested that he reference the Dentist from Little Shop of Horrors that Morrissey was able to take the song to a whole new level – and the audience was in absolute stitches!

The afternoon session was aptly named the “Business of Cabaret” and the panelists were all major stalwarts of the industry: Sidney Myer, Jeff Harnar, Natalie Douglas, Jennifer Tepper & Carolyn Montgomery. They spoke about how the cabaret landscape has changed and that there are fewer rooms around. Artists were once able to hold an ongoing residency at clubs or sell out major runs. Very few make a living from the artform. Natalie Douglas spoke about how she makes most of her living from out-of-town gigs and is on the road for much of the year. She also quipped, “For a living, I write emails,” referring to spending a lot of time working on the administrative side of booking shows.

Other nuggets of advice included taking advantage of social media. Douglas said, “Don’t just use it just to post about your shows – use your social media to get your audience to know you. Show them your life. The new shoes you bought. A sunset. It keeps you in the algorithm and makes people interested in you.”

Michael Kirk Lane also emphasized the importance of being a good person to work with. Practice kindness in all your dealings, because venues speak to each other!

Speaking of venues, Sidney Myer shared the advantages of booking shows at Don’t Tell Mama, especially for the those new to the scene. He says the Brick Room can feel full with just 25-30 people in attendance. The Original Room can seat up to 80, but feels full at 50. No money changes hands with anyone until after the show, and the room fee, which covers the tech person and staffing, is just $110. This makes it a great and affordable place to start out.

Myer was then asked what stood out to him as a key takeaway from his years in the business. He spoke about meeting someone whose friend had recently performed at Don’t Tell Mama. They asked, “So, do you think he has what it takes to make it?” To which Myer replied with panache, “I believe that anyone who is doing something that they love are making it.”

The final day of the conference featured more singers working through songs from their repertoire. A key takeaway in this session was the importance of knowing your point of view – as in, knowing who you are talking to, even if that means you are doing a soliloquy and talking to yourself. One challenge for musical theater performers when transitioning to cabaret is often knowing how to connect with the audience and be their authentic selves. A lot of performers get stuck playing a character and are in "performance mode." The advice given with regards to connecting with the audience is to map out where you are going to look in the room at specific points in the song – are you looking center? Are you panning left to right, or right to left? Are you choosing one specific person to sing to? Focus = clarity. Be specific with your choices, and be yourself!

To wrap things up, Ms. Prince and Mr. Lane sought key takeaways from the performers, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. All the performers said they would come back next year - the week was a success!

If you are interested in learning more about the art of cabaret and its history, Michael Kirk Lane is leading a lecture series at 92NY in September. Tickets and more information are available on the 92NY website.

Cover photo, L-R: Yasuhiko (Yaz) Fukuoka, Alex Rybeck, Faith Prince, and Michael Kirk Lane. Photo credit: Hannah Jane Photography.

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