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The Making of Cabaret

If you're a church that needs to do some serious fund raising, there are a few ways you could do it:

You can have bake sales.

You can have car washes.

You can have bingo nights.

Or you can put on a show.

The latter option is hardly taking the easy road to achieving the goal. But St. Joan of Arc's done just that for the 6th year in a row--this year with two nights of "Cabaret Paradiso" November 3 and 4 in the SJA gym transformed into an Italian street scene.

As you might imagine, such a project can be a daunting undertaking. Cabaret Committee Chair and Emcee Paul Hempe admits he's wondered why he's done it all these years. But the answer, as he told the crowd at one night's performance, is "we do it for love." It's all done with dozens of dedicated volunteer help and a strong ace in the hole-- the talents of St. Joan of Arc musicians and a few other musical friends of theirs.

It all started around 1994, when Paul Hempe and Anna Vagle, Music Director and Staff Liaison, were talking at a party. Paul came up with the idea of using the rich musical talent at SJA to put on a show to raise funds for the church and other charitable organizations. Thus the Cabaret series was born, with the first show taking place "on a wing and a prayer", as Anna Vagle puts it--gym renovation had recently completed and the sound system was installed only hours before the start of the show.

Aside from the music, other highlights and Cabaret activities included door prizes and raffles. The centerpiece of the giveaways was a $28,000 Audi--3,000 tickets were available and all were sold by Saturday night's drawing. During past years, money raised from the Cabaret went toward the church's capital campaign, special projects, the SJA Justice Fund and several charitable organizations. Cabaret proceeds also helped purchase chairs for the gym Masses. This year, profits from this year's concert and Audi raffle tickets will support the remodel of the parish center and the SJA Justice Fund.

With the Cabaret months away yet, the work began in earnest. The Committee members met frequently to plan the many details to make the show a success. This year's committee included:

And then there's the music. Imagine an evening of music from some of the most stellar musical talent the Twin Cities local scene has to offer. But just also imagine the fact that you can come to church and hear many of these artists regularly. With Anna and Fred Vagle and Dan Chouinard at the helm, Cabaret Paradiso tapped the resources of some of SJA's regular musical lineup--Joe Chouinard, Deb Harley, Rachel Kroog, Lee Vague, Dick Hedlund, Shane Speltz, Steve Kremer, Bob Hanson, who got to showcase their styles outside the framework of the weekly gym and family Masses. Take that a step further and add into the mix folks like Mary Jane Alm, Dare to Breathe, Debbie Duncan, Pat Frederick, Bruce Henry, Prudence Johnson, Gary Rue, Gwen Matthews, Billy McLaughlin, "St. Paul" Peterson, Jim Price, Mark Stillman, Robert Robinson, Sima Shumilovsky, Dennis Spears, Jim tenBensel.

Writer, speaker, consultant, administrative professional, Wendy Vickers, has been an active supporter and encourager of local musicians in the Twin Cities music community for several years. Her online newsletter on local coffeehouse performers and other music-related activities can be found on her website at www.wendyv.com .
Add all that plus a little salsa dance, mime entertainment, and sketches and you have one of the most unforgettable evenings of entertainment in town. It's all done for a good cause, but I guarantee you that after you've attended an SJA Cabaret, you'll not only leave feeling good about helping the church but you'll also have been touched by the special gifts by some extraordinary talents. A celebration indeed.

Our Events in Review section has pictures and text from both of the Cabaret 2000 performances. Check them out!!
Friday's Cabaret
Saturday's Cabaret

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