Why

BECAUSE THE THEATER DEMANDS US TO BE PRESENT FOR EACH OTHER, TO BE GENEROUS WITH OUR HEARTS, AND EVEN IF JUST FOR A MOMENT IN TIME, TO LOSE OURSELVES SO THAT WE MAY RETURN IN THE END DIFFERENTLY.

BECAUSE WE WON'T WASTE YOUR TIME

BECAUSE, AS DUCHAMP SAID, THE VIEWER COMPLETES THE WORK OF ART.

Founded in 1968, the Yale Cabaret is a basement black box theater on Park Street in New Haven Connecticut that is entirely run by the students of Yale School of Drama. Historically it has been a home for YSD's community of theater artists to push the boundaries of their art, and lose sleep rehearsing deep into the night on projects that could never be presented elsewhere. The work onstage (which is to say, in your lap - the Cabaret is roughly the size of a backyard swimming pool and can be oriented in myriad configurations) presents the passion projects of a talented group of people who have found themselves in an inexplicable situation. Nowhere else in the world are there more than 200 theater artists living in a four-block radius – the possibilities are endless. At the Cabaret, the proverbial gloves come off, the hair is let down, and the sleeves are rolled up, all in service to the creation of a new work of art that is sometimes unbearably intimate, sometimes dangerous, often joyful, sometimes a glorious failure, sometimes an accidental masterpiece, but always passionate, and never a waste of time.

The Cabaret's leadership is chosen every year from current students at YSD, and each year the space and the organization are created anew. This year is slightly different than previous ones, this season of the Cabaret is headed by a team of five students (one director, two dramaturgs, one actor, one theater manager), all of whom will share responsibilities as Artistic Directors, all of whom believe that a community based organization should be run by a community, all of whom have argued over the content of this copy and will now begin referring to themselves as "we."

We believe that the theater is an anomaly. It is one of the few art forms that requires collaboration in order for it to be, it simply can't happen with less than two people. This year's Cabaret is a space for experiments in collaboration – not only between and among artists, but also between and among the community of strangers that attends to take part in bringing the theater to life each time the lights dim, and the curtain is raised.

We believe that now is the perfect time to experiment with what the theater affords us – the opportunity to know each other better, know our community more intimately, and surprise ourselves with what we didn't realize was possible.

Let us know when you're coming, we'll save you a seat.