Aerial trapeze artists, acrobats and drag acts set to star as cabaret club arrives in Sunderland

Acrobats, aerial trapeze artists, drag acts, singers and dancers are set to showcase their talents as what is believed to be the first current dedicated cabaret club night is set to hit Sunderland.

The Glass Cage Cabaret show, which is set to take place on Saturday March 23, is being brought to the city by dancer and aerial artist, Autumn Conlin.

The 28-year-old performer started as a burlesque dancer before training to become an aerial performer.

Autumn, who will also be performing her high trapeze act as one of 10 artists in the show, said: “I’ve always been passionate about traditional performers, whether that be singers, dancers or circus acts, and I wanted to provide a platform for people to showcase their incredible talents here in Sunderland.

“I’m from Sunderland and don’t want to necessarily have to move away for my career. This is the first traditional cabaret club event that I’m aware of in the city.”

With the help of the Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme, Autumn set about recruiting the region’s best performers to put together the two hour show.

She said: “We put a message out on social media about the show and we had a fantastic response from people from all over the country. We had submissions from around 50 performers, including an artist from France.

“They sent in show-reels of their performances which we initially used to select what we believe to be the best acts.

“We also wanted the show to represent the region and so a lot of the artists are from Sunderland and the North East.”

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Autumn has also enlisted the help of aerial artist and her own performance teacher, Emma Bloomfield, who’s also performing in the show. With rehearsals underway, Emma has been charged with the task of choreographing the event.

Emma, 37, also from Sunderland, said: “A lot of my work is inspired by my North East heritage and it’s really important to have a show of this type here in the city.

“People shouldn’t have to travel to Newcastle or elsewhere to enjoy a cabaret night. I also love to nurture local talent and this is a fantastic platform for them to showcase what they do.”

The event will be decked out with traditional cabaret style round tables with the show taking place in the main hall at Wearside Masonic Temple on Burdon Road.

Autumn said: “We chose the Masonic Temple as we needed a room with a high ceiling for the aerial artists and also space for the audience and round tables.

“There's also a bar for people to enjoy a drink and I really like the historic style of the building.”

Autumn and Emma hope the initial launch show will lead to regular cabaret club shows in the city.

Emma said: “Come and give this a go. If you’ve never seen anything like this before then come and dip your toes into the world of cabaret.

“There really is something for everyone.”

Autumn added: “The cabaret will allow people to escape the outside world and put a smile on their faces. I’d love to make it a permanent event with weekly shows as well as themed performances at different times of the year such as Halloween and Christmas.

“The capacity for the night is 100 people, but it would be a dream to one day take the show to somewhere like the Sunderland Empire Theatre.”

Tickets for the adult only event are retailing at £20 and can be purchased on the Glass Cage Cabaret website with further information also available on the event’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

Doors will open at 7pm with the cabaret beginning at 7.30pm.