The Unbearable Cabaret

The Unbearable Cabaret

An absurd, flirty, ludicrous night of all things theatre, clown and comedy.

For our first ever The Unbearable Cabaret we are bringing together an eccentric

mixture of clowns, serious actors, and yes, even one stand up comedian.

Expect a miscellaneous selection of clown acts, character comedy, storytelling, and

more… featuring seasoned acts and a splash of developing material - risquée!

A night of unbearable laughter!

FEATURING…

Rachel Smith: MOTHER DARK

Everyone’s favourite dark Mother.

Writer-Performer. Rachel trained as an actor and worked across TV, film and theatre

before moving into screenwriting, writing across shows for BBC/Ch4 and R4. Rachel

recently returned to performing as solo and cabaret artist.

@rachthesmith

Laura Sharples: LEMON PIPS

Lemon Pips loves love, which is why she's stunned not to be included in the happiest

day of your life. Never mind, you can do it again, clown-style.

Laura is a graduate from École Phillippe Gaulier, where she found Lemon Pips, the

"idiot optimiste" who has vaguely grasped what a wedding is and wants to get

involved. Laura has been performing since 2010, and practicing clown for 6 years. @pips_lemon

Nathan Burt: RED WESTERN
Meet the dangerous outlaw Red Western, as he encounters friends, foes and tragic
romance. Leading you on an epic tale of crime, passion and falling in love.
Nathan Burt is a multi-disciplinary performer, producer and writer. He graduated from
The Manchester School of Theatre in MFA Performance in 2025. He has trained in
classical and contemporary theatre, he has also trained in physical performance
practices. Nathan is passionate about bringing original stories and characters to life.
His most recent works were EXODUS, a physical performance piece created for the
7th International Forum of Performance Art, presented in Drama, Greece in
September 2025. He also wrote, directed and performed Things That Happen In The
Night, an auto-fiction piece that explores themes of imagination, loneliness and the
nocturnal through intertwining stories.
@nathanburt_

TARA MORONY
For one final night, world famous, international actress returns to her beloved theatre
to say a final farewell.
Tara is an actor, theatre-maker and producer from Manchester. Her journey in theatre began
in Barcelona, training and performing with Teatro de los Sentidos. She then joined the MA in Performance at Manchester School of Theatre, while also training with clown school
Performers’ Playground, where she started learning about being an idiot. Tara has
performed at theatres, festivals, comedy nights and cabarets in the UK, Spain and Denmark.
She has collaborated or trained with artists and organisations including Odin Teatret/NTL,
Lume Teatro and Cross Pollination. She is passionate about creating intercultural artistic
exchanges, through producing workshops, labs and performances, including with the Red
Bastard and Performance Creation Labs. Tara is currently studying at Ecole Philippe Gaulier in Paris.
@tara.mrny

NATALIE PATUZZO
Watch as one idiot attempts the impossible: to recreate every single sound in
existence. Armed with her voice, the audience, and whatever objects she can get her
hands on, Natalie Patuzzo conjures everything including animals, people, historical
things, futurical things, objects, and more.
(An) endearing yet wickedly funny physical performer”
Natalie is an award-winning clown and director with training from Ecole Philippe
Gaulier (FR), Ecole Jacques Lecoq (FR), HAMU (CZ), and Rose Bruford College
(UK). She teaches clowning workshops for ImproQuo and is launching a regular
alternative comedy night at Fairfield Social Club later this month.
@nataliepatuzzo

OLLIE YATES
What is happening?
Ollie is an alternative comedian, clown and comedy promoter/producer based in
Sheffield! They have recently created 'PLUGHOLE' Sheffield's weirdest new material
night and are very excited to perform in Manchester for the 2nd time!
@daftelation
Ilaria Passeri: ILARIA THE STORYTELLER
An excerpt from her show called - Under The Lamp Post.
Ilaria is a writer performer based in Manchester. She works as a full time storyteller
for all ages. Her most recent show for adults, Under The Lamp Post won best
spoken word show at Manchester fringe and is currently on a small tour. Her most
recent family show is being performed soon at Shakespeare north playhouse.
@ilariathestoryteller

BEN KNOWLES: THREADS OF SERVICE
The Connoisseur speaks in metaphor, the Charmer binds us in joy, and the Expert
reveals order. Tea is poured as memory, knots are tied as gestures, and service
becomes a ritual of entanglement. Transform hospitality into theatre, weaving,
drinking, and threading into a communal act.
Teacher and performance scholar, Knowles weaves knowledge through
experimentation. A multidisciplinary artist, he threads metaphor, physicality, and
storytelling into symbolic acts.
@_b.h.d.k

JACOB C HARMON (ACTOR)
A man at odds with his profession recounts a conversation that changed his life.
Jacob stands up around manchester, Improvises with Before the Fire, studies with
the Performer's Playground and acts and facilitates at Higher Blackley Community Centre for Reel MCR @jacobcharmon