Call for Submissions: COSMOCABARET

Thespo (India) and the Paprika Festival (Canada), in association with the Social Distancing Festival, are looking for emerging artists aged 16-25 to participate in the COSMOCABARET: a live-streamed international cabaret showcase! This collaborative creation process will take place over 5 weeks and culminate in 2 virtual performances on March 20 & 21, 2021. 

COSMOCABARET will bring together 12 emerging artists to share in a creative process and cross-cultural exchange. Participants will have the opportunity to explore performance styles including drag, dance, spoken word, stand-up comedy, singing, and more! 

The facilitator for this program will be acclaimed actor, director, and visual artist Tsholo Visions Khalema.

Tsholo is a South African Transgender man born in the midst of apartheid who witnessed the fall of an era while assimilating to life in Canada. Growing up in the westernmost prairie provinces of Canada was where he began his lifelong pursuit of learning the art of theatre and storytelling. Tsholo is a multi-disciplinary artist, working as an actor, director, and self-taught filmmaker, and his art practices aim to enhance the Black and Transgender voice(s), showing the many different diverse intersectionalities of blackness. Learn more at www.tsholovisions.com.

We are looking for self-motivated performers with an interest in cabaret or alternative performance styles who have the desire to collaborate across cultures and time zones. You do not need to be a current Paprika or Thespo participant to apply! Each participant will receive a small honorarium upon completion of the training sessions and live-streamed performances.

Performances will take place:

SHOW 1: March 20 @ 10:30am EST / 8:00pm IST
SHOW 2: March 20 @ 10:00pm EST / 7:30am IST (March 21 in India)

TO APPLY:

  • Shoot or edit a 1-3 min. video of you performing! You can showcase any performance style (ie. drag, spoken word, stand-up, dance, etc.).
  • Upload your submission as an unlisted video to YouTube or Vimeo and save the link.
  • Fill out this short online application and include the link to your video!

DEADLINE TO APPLY: Friday, February 12, 2021 @ 11:59pm EST | APPLY HERE

Feel free to reach out to Nathan Carroll (nathan@paprikafestival.com) if you have any questions or need assistance with your application.