Melbourne Cabaret Festival

The 2012 Festival involved 100 performers in 36 shows in 9 venues, and dozens of staff and volunteers.

Early in 2012, faced with a $15, 000 shortfall in its budget to stage the Festival, a crowdfunding campaign was launched. Supported by Geoffrey Rush, Amanda Palmer, Paul Capsis, Sammy J & Randy and hundreds of other supporters, the campaign surpassed its target by raising over $18, 000.

The campaign represented the first time that Melbourne’s broad, often disorganised cabaret community – performers, venues and audiences – had united behind a common cause.

It also marked the first time in Australia that a Festival had received ‘core funding’ via crowdfunding and is the strongest indication possible of audience and community support.

Emboldened by this community support, the 2012 Festival significantly expanded in two ways. First, it expanded to 10 nights, from Thursday 12 to Saturday 21 July. Second, it expanded to several venues across Melbourne whilst retaining its historic ties with the suburb that bore it.

2012 featured a Festival-programmed south hub at Chapel Off Chapel in Prahran and a Festival-programmed north hub at Kew Court House in Kew.

The Festival partnered with several other cabaret venues across Melbourne to broaden geographically and artistically and, also, to improve audience access.

Partner venues were responsible for presenting quality acts suited to their own venue and audiences. They included the Melbourne Recital Centre, Red Bennies, the Crimson Goat Cabaret Club at Ormond Hall and – in South Melbourne – The Butterfly Club and the new Bohemia Cabaret Club which was also serving as a late night magnet for Festival audiences. The South Melbourne Community Chest also continued as the official charity of the Festival.