Windsor’s Capitol Theatre was turned into a giant lovefest on Friday night (Nov. 9) when a handful of local musical theatre performers and musicians joined forces for a fundraising cabaret for the Canadian Mental Health Association in Windsor-Essex. Dubbed Cabaret For A Cause, the now annual event not only helps raise funds for an essential charity like CMHA, it also brought many of the city’s great entertainers onto the mainstage of the Capitol.

This year’s Cabaret For A Cause told the story of a coffee shop and its inhabitants while each of the characters and stories intertwine. The only common denominator was that everyone was connected by mental health in one way or another. Some of the highlights included inspirational tracks from favourite musicals like The Greatest Showman and song and dance routines.

519 Magazine photographer Dan Savoie was on hand to shoot a bit of the show.

The whole Cabaret For A Cause affair has become more than just a special performance, it’s morphing into a series of arts therapy workshops with mental health and arts industry professionals leading the charge. These monthly workshops will focus on different topics like dance, visual arts, entertainment tech, acting, writing, all while keeping keen and watchful eye on the mental health issues some of the participants might be portraying or even dealing with in their own daily lives. The project is expected to launch in January 2019.

Here are the people behind this year’s Cabaret For A Cause:

Aaron Bergeron (Cast)
Amber Thibert (Cast/Production Manager)
Andjela Ilic (Marketing/Videography)
Chris Fazekas (Cast/Assistant Director)
Christine Collins (Cast)
Drew Beaudoin (Cast)
Elizabeth Rivard (Cast)
Florine Ndimubandi (Cast)
Hope Forman (Cast)
James Lapeer (Cast)
Kaitlyn Karns (Cast)
Kim Buckley (Marketing/Graphic Design)
Lizz Beith (Cast)
Micheal Roy (Cast)
Ruby Romero (Cast)
Sam Poole (Music Director)
Sean Humenny (Cast)
Sean Sennett (Cast)
Toni Bruner (Cast/Creative Director)

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