Wild Women (Don’t Get The Blues) Returns For A Special Cocktail Cabaret
Fabulous Afternoon Party of Sassy Music & Monologue Celebrating Pride & Canada 150 with the Music of Ace Canadian Women…
Our Theme: Pride & Prejudice
Saturday, June 24th, 2017
Paintbox Bistro – Regent Park (555 Dundas St. East, Toronto)
Doors open 3:30 pm
Show starts 4:30 pm w/ 2 sets
Tickets: $22/advance – Only 60 Seated Tickets Available
$25/door – Standing Room & Patio
http://wildwomenpp.eventbrite.com
Fabulous Food by Rogue Chef Greg Couillard
To celebrate the glorious trifecta of Pride, Canada 150 and summer 2017, Lorraine Segato and Colleen Allen bring their acclaimed and wildly popular cabaret series Wild Women (Don’t Get The Blues) to Toronto’s Regent Park on Saturday, June 24.
With the music of ace Canadian performers complemented by food creations courtesy rogue chef Greg Couillard, the afternoon event held at the Paintbox Bistro and presented by The Daniels Corporation promises to be one of the most memorable and flat-out fun of the year.
Launched by legendary singer/songwriter Lorraine Segato (as part of her two-year Artist in Residency stint at Regent Park) alongside Soulpepper Artist in Residence Colleen Allen, Wild Women (Don’t Get The Blues) showcases a diverse group of emerging and established performers presenting iconic songs that reflect the cabaret’s ever-changing theme.
On Saturday, June 24, Segato and Allen alongside Alana Bridgewater, Britta B, Carlie Howell, Diane Leah, Diane Flacks and Shawnee Talbot interpret the musical theme of Pride & Prejudice, using Canadian songs and original material in song, spoken word and theatrical monologue.
Audiences can expect to be electrified. Sixteen show-stopping performances over five previous cabarets have interpreted the powerful voices and stories of trailblazers like Ida Cox, Etta James, Janis Joplin, Edith Piaf, Amy Winehouse, Patsy Cline, Annie Lennox, Dixie Chicks, Bonnie Raitt and others.
Past performers, meanwhile – Shakura S’Aida, Lyne Tremblay, Iskwe, Suzie Vinnick, Roula Said, Miku Graham, Nicole Brooks and SATE (formerly Saidah Baba Talibah) – have visited resonant themes such as Secrets & Lies (how we hide ourselves from each other), Jagged Little Pill (revenge songs), What’s Love Got to Do With It, Saucy or Sassy Songs and Songs of Resilience.
Some Notes on this Year’s Performers:
Alana Bridgewater has performed on numerous stages throughout her career including Hairspray/ Spoon River and Shrek the Musical. She recently starred in Soulpepper’s Porgy & Bess.
Britta B is an emerging spoken word powerhouse who is a proud Regent Park resident. She recently appeared in The Journey and in competitive and feature performances nationwide, including the National Poetry Slam and Canadian Festival of Spoken Word.
Diane Flacks is a Canadian comedic actress, screenwriter and playwright who has written and starred in numerous television series. Diane was recently nominated for Outstanding Performance as an actor in Body Politic and as a writer for Outstanding New Play for Unholy for the Dora Mavor Moore Awards.
Carlie Howell weaves together her experience with jazz, classical, folk, pop, rock, reggae, klezmer, free-improv and world music traditions to create an eclectic and unique musical voice all her own.
Shawnee Talbot is an Indigenous singer/songwriter and female powerhouse known for her soulful voice and engaging live performance energy.
Diane Leah is a pianist, arranger and music director whose credits span 40 years in Canadian music including with her own group Broadsway with Heather Bambrick and Julie Michels. She has accompanied countless artists including Jackie Richardson, Alana Bridgewater, Mark Cassius, Susan Gilmour (Lady Sings The Tunes) and Thom Allison (CBC – Over The Rainbow) as well as serving as the MD for Louise Pitre. Diane was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for public service in 2013 and is the Director of Music at Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto.
Colleen Allen is one of Canada’s most in-demand musicians for live concerts and recording sessions. Based in Toronto, the acclaimed and versatile multi-instrumentalist has performed all over Canada, the U.S. and Europe with world class jazz and pop artists including Molly Johnson, David Clayton-Thomas, Holly Cole, Emilie-Claire Barlow, Rik Emmett, Marc Jordan, Andrew Craig and Jackie Richardson to name a few.
Lorraine Segato’s decades-long work as a musician, songwriter, filmmaker, event producer, artistic director and social justice activist has cemented her status as one of Canada’s foremost recording artists and cultural commentators. As the co-founder and lead singer of The Parachute Club – among the most critically lauded and commercially successful groups of the 1980s – Segato enjoyed an impressive career in the music industry before turning her attention to other creative endeavours such as directing and producing large cultural events. Most recently, she curated a cultural exhibit on Queen Street West called the Rebel Zone, and was featured in the acclaimed Hot Docs/TVO film Lowdown Tracks that followed the stories of talented homeless musicians. Its recent World Premiere at Hot Docs was embraced with rave reviews and audience ovations and came in with #2 Audience Award out of 210 Hot Doc titles. In 2016, she issued her most recent CD, Invincible Decency. She recently completed a two-year Artist in Residence stint at Regent Park and a CBC radio pilot. Stay tuned for her long awaited one-woman show Get Off My Dress.
