Cabaret for a Cause to raise funds for arts education

Jan. 11—NEW ALBANY — An upcoming fundraiser will showcase local talent while supporting arts education.

Madeline Fisher, a New Albany High School graduate, is organizing Cabaret for a Cause, which will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday at NAHS. The proceeds from the event will go toward the Educational Theatre Association, a national nonprofit.

This is the second year of Cabaret for a Cause. The funds raised at the event will help cover the expenses of sending high school theater students to the International Thespian Festival at Indiana University.

The cabaret will feature a mix of NAHS students and professionals in the community, Fisher said. Attendees can provide a donation to enter the event.

She described it as a "variety show of people who just want to showcase their talents for a great cause."

"There will be dancers and singers, and I think we have some instruments and a monologue as well," Fisher said.

"Honestly, to have people who want to participate is really outstanding — to know that I'm not the only person who wants to make a difference when it comes to uplifting students through the arts," she said.

Fisher was the 2022 Miss Harvest Homecoming. Through her participation in the Miss America Organization, she created an arts advocacy initiative called "Yousical Theatre," which aims to support and fund school arts programs across the state and country.

Fisher graduated from NAHS in 2021 and is a student at the University of Indianapolis. She is also operations manager for a radio station in Indianapolis.

While in high school, she learned the importance of supporting arts education.

"I realized that even though I was in a fantastic program at New Albany, there was still plenty of work to be done when it comes to promoting arts education and access to arts resources in schools," she said.

Fisher's involvement with performing arts was a positive influence in her life, she said.

"As a kid, I was bullied a lot," she said. "I also had issues with behavior at school. I was a very hyperactive student. I was always interrupting [and] talking. I didn't really have a place to put my energy that was positive."

She needed an extracurricular activity that "encouraged you to be loud [and] use your voice."

"Not only did it help with my behavioral issues, my attention span got a lot better," Fisher said. "I also had been struggling with self-confidence and self-worth a lot, and being able to go on stage and play a character helped me become the better version of the character Madeline Fisher."

Although she is not pursuing musical theater in college, her performing arts experience helps as she studies sports communication.

"My ability to speak with athletes and coaches and broadcast on air in front of a camera or behind the microphone on the radio is because I did so much work on stage," Fisher said. "I don't have that stage fright. I can put myself in any scenario and be comfortable nowadays."

She feels that her experience is a "living testament of what the arts can do for students."

"I think that there are plenty of other examples," she said. "We just need to amplify their voices, which is the goal of this cabaret."

At Sunday's event, Fisher will perform two pieces.

She will perform the duet "In His Eyes" from the musical Jekyll & Hyde with NAHS Dean of Students Amy Miller, who previously was the school's theater director.

She will also perform a jazz rendition of Radiohead's "Creep."

Last year's Cabaret for a Cause raised $2,115 for the Educational Theatre Association's 'Send a Troupe' program.

"Last year, I was able to assist a couple of students at a school in Illinois to attend the festival," Fisher said. "It's really exciting to see the work that you do quite literally pay off."