BWW Previews: WINTER CABARET SHOWCASES PATEL STUDENTS AND FACULTY at Straz Center For The Performing Arts' TECO Theatre

Performed by Patel Conservatory students, grade 7-adult and several faculty, the Patel Conservatory will present a "Winter Cabaret" on Jan. 15 at 7 p.m., in the TECO Theater. The show will feature renditions of solo, duet and small group musical theater favorites with Patel faculty performing a comical "Overdone Audition Song."

Emceed by friends and Patel alumni Mitchell Broadwater and Micah Livesay, who last performed together years ago in Hello, Dolly! in 2018, the Winter Cabaret was inspired by students wanting to do a different type of material during their off-time in the summer. Even if students are uncomfortable doing solos, they can still have fun doing the opening and closing group numbers and may still be put into another small group.

"It's going to be really fun to get to perform together on the stage with Micah again," said Mitchell. "We're doing popular songs by Gershwin, Sondheim and other contemporary Broadway composers. It's an amalgamation of different musicals performed by students of the Conservatory and various Patel Conservatory staff, people who taught me when I attended there."

The Winter Cabaret gives students a chance to test out new material in the context of a professional-produced production.

"This is the best kind of competition. It's for driven-ness, not having to be better than those around you. Everyone joins Patel at a different place in their performance journey. It gives the opportunity to train around people who are likeminded, who have similar goals as you, and train with a faculty that is there to encourage and push you to be your best."
Through Saturday, interested students can still register to be part of the cabaret.

Regularly priced tickets are $15, table seating $20, and can be purchased by calling 813.229.7827, in person at the Straz Center Ticket Office or online at www.strazcenter.org.

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