Kabarett Kollektif
Winner of the 2006 Nightlife Award for
“Unique Cabaret Performance”
I am founder, artistic director, producer and performer of the Kabarett Kollektif, a troupe of New York-based artists dedicated to preserving the European cabaret tradition and to furthering the art form as a whole. Almost as soon as I got to New York, I began dreaming of a collective of cabaret artists, blending songs and styles, tossing around ideas and resources and language and experience. Not only did I want top-flight entertainers sharing common ground and sensibilities, I also wished to re-invent the earliest songs and styles of the genre while incubating new ones.

I formed the group in January 2003 to fill a niche in the local cabaret scene and build a bridge back to cabaret’s roots. The debut series took place in April 2003 at the Duplex Cabaret Theater in the West Village with the group’s original four members: Germans Theo Bleckmann, Dirk Weiler and myself, and English-born Gina Leishmann. In January 2004, the group welcomed Belgian Micheline van Hautem, Canadian Jean Brassard, Frederique Trunk and Greta from France, and American Marni Rice. A fundraiser was held in April with the entire ensemble performing. Using those proceeds, a month-long series was staged at Mama Rose’s in the East Village with a new show each week: Introducing the Kabarett Kollektif, Noise and Smoke: Hits of Weimar Berlin, Paris Nocturne, and Foreign Currency: Songs for Our Time. In April 2005, Berlin-Paris Express was debuted at The Encore. It joined Noise & Smoke and Paris Nocturne as the group’s most popular shows and all three were reprised at Helen’s in Chelsea in the fall 2005.

In September 2005, I was featured on the cover of Cabaret Scenes magazine. The accompanying article describes my life as a solo performer, recording artist and leader of the Kollektif.

In 2007, I schemed up Kabarett Fête, New York's only festival for European cabaret, and gave existing and new Kollektif members a showcase. These included Frans Bloem of Holland, German-born Micaela Leon, Olivia Stevens of Sweden and American Rebecca Fletcher. I've since brought members of the ensemble together in a European cabaret series at the Spencertown Academy (2008), and in two shows I directed for the German Forum (2008 and 2009). The ensemble continues to grow...thus far 14 artists from 9 countries have helped nurture the European cabaret arts in New York City under the Kollektif banner.

For more information about individual members, shows and reviews, please visit our webpages. For bookings, contact kollektif@karenkohler.com.