Here, she chats to Graham Robson about her new online show, Pick n Mix: Mixed Bill Cabaret, and how to keep yourself occupied during lockdown…
Hey Annabelszki, what have you been up to?
I have set up Pick n Mix: Mixed Bill Cabaret, which is streamed live on Zoom. I host and book up to six acts, using a variety show approach. The first two shows have included drag kings, comedians, character acts, musicians, spoken word and storytelling. The next show is on Wednesday, April 15 at 8pm. For more info, see my website and email me if you’re a performer and interested in taking part – annabelszki@gmail.com.
How did the first one go down?
Our first show had an audience of 39 – way more that you’d get on a Tuesday night in Brighton! The crowd were fantastic at interacting with the performers, using less traditional methods…
How does it compare with more performing in person?
People arriving into the Zoom ‘room’ is interesting; you watch as a name, then an image, then audio appears! People who are unfamiliar with Zoom need to be shown how to do the basics, so they feel comfortable.
We agreed to mute the audience, to prevent the audio stream being diverted from the performer. The audience communicated using the chat box, and the thumbs up/applause emoji. Real-time applause was given, at the end of each set, by unmuting the audience. As host, I was able to engage with the audience by asking them to respond to my questions via typing in their name box … As you can imagine, this becomes quite entertaining, depending on the subject!
There is a slight time-lag in a live stream; I had to pause, after delivering a punchline, until I saw the audience’s faces smile/react, before moving on to the next line.
Some audience members choose to ‘hide’ their video image, so some of the squares are just plain black, with a name showing.
Adam All is running Boi Box Drag King Cabaret online and Leaf Plant (local performance artist) hosts Virtually Funny each Saturday ay 8pm. Comedians live-stream five minute sets, using Discord to film and Twitch to stream. The audience watch live on Twitch, interacting with acts via the chat box.
Any tips to keep us busy?
Escape, create, laugh! Join one of my drop-in comedy writing workshops. Every Monday and Thursday @7pm. Learn to write short-form comedy, ideal for someone working towards their first five-minute set. £10 one hour. Details at annabelszki.com
What are your plans for when this is all over?
Finish writing my solo show ‘Blood, Glorious Blood!’ for the rescheduled Brighton Fringe Festival in October. Run drop-in comedy writing workshops at Pen to Paper, Sydney Street Brighton (Sunday 6-8pm £10). Get back to gigging in Brighton and London!
What do you miss the most?
The buzz of London. Swimming. Physical contact/hugs.
Any words of wisdom to keep us going?
Positivity, resilience, adaptation.