The Cabaret prepares for fall season with push to appeal to broad audience, sell out shows

INDIANAPOLIS — As The Cabaret gears up for their fall season, there's a message they want to convey.

“It’s not just exclusive to one race or to one gender of people," said Valerie Phelps. "It’s for everybody.” 

The Cabaret is a performing arts theater on Pennsylvania Avenue. 

“It’s important because music is diverse like that," Phelps said. "Music is diverse."

So, too, have the artists who have appeared on The Cabaret stage. 

“It’s the audience that hasn’t carried over,” Phelps said. 

That’s why the venue is hoping to diversify its audience. 

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“To be honest, there is a divide sometimes. There is a divide in the arts and we don’t want that necessarily to hinder us and what we do here," said Phelps. "Matter of fact, we want to open it up so there is no divide.”

Phelps said explaining that sort of mission became even more apparent in the past few years, with a growing awareness of issues surrounding social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

“We really need to be more aware of the audience and what people like and what’s going on. It just happened that way,” said Phelps. 

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They’ve made some inroads with “The Alley," an outdoor venue The Cabaret started last summer when the COVID pandemic led local artists to perform outside. 

“That was just one little part that was lacking, but not anymore. It’s more inclusive, it’s more diverse. Yes, we’re always going to have our Broadway artists, but we have some artists right around the corner that need that stage too,” said Phelps. 

One artist who isn’t local, but who The Cabaret is still hoping to sell out for two shows on Sept. 17, is Kandace Springs. Phelps said ticket sales are lagging behind what they initially anticipated and they’re concerned about having to cancel one of the shows. 

“If more people knew what The Cabaret was trying to do to be more diverse, bring in more people, and if they knew who she really was and the quality and the talent, I think this place would be ... we would have to turn people away,” said Phelps. 

That’s the hope moving forward, an audience filling the seats that is as diverse as the artists entertaining them.