Hello hello one and all and a happy new year to you! Well, the smoking cabinet festival of early cabaret and burlesque cinema was a truly excellent affair with us selling out on opening night and playing to very packed houses all the rest of the weekend. The films were accompanied by amazing musical maestros the London Improvisers Orchestra, Chris Dowding and friends, the talks with the wonderful Dr Vanessa Toulmin (National Fairground Archive, Admission All Classes), Suzanne Andrade (1927) and Simone Baird (Time Out), and Bryony Dixon (BFI), Amy Lame (Duckie) and Marisa Carnesky proved insightful and entertaining; and where would we have been without Marawa the Amazing, Chameleon Collective (in association with Future Cinema), Bourgeois and Maurice and Broken Hearts DJs?!? Not to forget Lisa Appignanesi, tsc patron and author of The Cabaret, who kicked the whole thing off.

We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts, audience and acts alike. 2008 holds the possibility of future screenings, education projects (just what would you like to know about early moving images?) and fingers crossed a UK tour… See you there!

p.s. best way to keep informed is to JOIN OUR MAILING LIST at info@thesmokingcabinet.com

posted Friday, December 28th, 2007