Tender Submission: Burlesque-Themed Show

Overview

This submission details a sophisticated burlesque show featuring five performers, suitable for audiences ranging from 300 to 2,000. The show will incorporate a refined yet playful storyline with an original musical score, designed for quick stage setup and teardown to accommodate various theatre settings. The performance will run either as a one-hour show or two 45-minute acts with a short intermission.

Option 1: Immersive Burlesque Performance

Concept: Step into a glamorous, 1920s-style jazz cabaret club where intrigue, passion, and artistry converge for a night of unforgettable entertainment. The scene is an intimate, smoky club setting, filled with the sultry sounds of jazz and swing, dim lighting, and vintage decor.

Cast:

• 1 Boylesque Performer: A bold and theatrical performer blending masculinity with the elegance and sensuality of burlesque, using charm, humour, and dramatic flair to captivate the audience.
• 2 Burlesque Performers: Each offers their own unique style—one seductive and powerful, the other playful and cheeky.
• 1 Specialty Performer: A variety act, such as an aerialist or contortionist, adding a touch of spectacle and wonder.
• 1 Drag Host: The charismatic host keeps the flow of the evening dynamic with witty banter, audience engagement, and comedic timing.

Storyline: The evening weaves a loose narrative centred around the performers preparing for a final, climactic show to save their beloved club. Each act explores their personal journeys—from heartbreak and empowerment to humour and rebellion—culminating in a powerful group performance that brings the house down.

Music: While an original score can be commissioned, popular songs will be incorporated to engage the audience with familiarity and nostalgia. Think smoky jazz ballads, sultry blues numbers, and cheeky swing classics.

Immersive Elements: Audience members will be drawn into the world of the club, treated as patrons of the venue. Performers will move throughout the space, creating moments of surprise and intimacy, while the Drag Host engages in impromptu interactions, ensuring a lively atmosphere.

Option 2: Original Burlesque-Themed Play

Concept: A narrative-driven play set in a cabaret club where the performers themselves become living embodiments of their burlesque personas, navigating themes of freedom, identity, and artistry.

Plot Summary: The story follows the lives of the performers as they grapple with their pasts and hopes for the future while preparing for their grand opening night. The club is a sanctuary, but its future is threatened by an outside force (a rival owner or city officials looking to shut it down). Through their acts, each character reveals their inner struggles, culminating in a collective act of self-discovery and defiance that saves the club.

Cast & Roles:

• Boylesque Performer: Symbolises the internal struggle between tradition and freedom.
• Burlesque Performers: Embody themes of self-love, resilience, and creativity.
• Specialty Performer: A mystical figure representing the club’s heart and soul.
• Drag Host: Narrates the story, acting as the club’s guide and protector, ensuring the narrative flows with humour, heart, and vivacity.

Music: An original score will be written to enhance the narrative, including sultry ballads, powerful anthems, and high-energy dance numbers. Additional familiar jazz and cabaret standards can be sprinkled in to evoke the era and setting.

Production: The show will be track-based to ensure seamless transitions between scenes and performances, providing consistency in tempo and tone.

Conclusion:

Both options offer a unique, immersive, and theatrical experience that captures the essence of burlesque and cabaret while engaging modern audiences with humour, passion, and artistry.With its immersive jazz cabaret theme, engaging performances, and seamless production design, this show will captivate and delight audiences of all sizes, delivering a truly unforgettable evening of entertainment.