Team Cabaret: A Brief History

Founded in 1998 by Doug Simao and Kate Peters, the program was piloted at the Fullerton Union High School Academy of the Arts in Fullerton, California. Team Cabaret™ is a non-profit program that nurtures students’ theatrical and musical skills while building self-esteem and confidence. The program was founded with the mission of providing young people a safe place to share what has heart and meaning through story and song and be applauded for it. The purpose underlying the mission statement of Team Cabaret™ is to help young people to make sense of their lives, as well as to help their families and communities understand what is going on in their lives. Stories are a wonderful vehicle for fulfilling this purpose. Storytelling is a form of communication that is common to everyone's experience. Stories are an ancient tool for gaining understanding. They are part of a natural process of learning. Besides, they are fun.

     
About the Founders
     
Kate Peters, artistic director and co-founder of Team Cabaret™ , is also a performer with credits in cabaret, musical theater, opera and commercial studio work. She also holds a Master of Music in Applied Voice, with a 22-year career as a vocal technician. She has taught privately, as well as in universities and colleges. Her Vocal Image and Power workshops and seminars are attended by business professionals. For more on Kate, see her web site at www.katepeters.com.
  
 
Click Kate's image for her explanation of what Team Cabaret™ does.
     
Doug Simao, producer and co-founder of Team Cabaret and Cabaret.Org, is also the President and CEO of Narratus, Business Performance Management Solutions. He originally hails from Hawaii, and came to California to attend Chapman College. His interest in the arts started with eight years as a dancer and dance instructor, which led to a passionate support of the self-expression that the arts afford. Combining the arts and technology, he has been involved with such diverse groups as the Muckenthaler Cultural Center, Fullerton's Children's Repertory Theater, The Orange County Performing Arts Center, Fullerton Civic Light Opera, and Comedy Sports. In addition, Narratus is involved in development of a new theater box office management system called Show Pro.  
     
Other Team Cabaret Leaders
     
Tim MacDougall was born and raised in Los Angeles, where he received his training in piano, voice and acting. Equally at home in musical theater and opera, he has performed with such luminaries as Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, and Cheryl Studer. He has also appeared with the Lyric Opera Company of Chicago and the Royal Opera, Convent Garden (1984 Olympic Festival). His performance experiences have taken him from studio musician to the legitimate stage. On television, he appeared on Comic Relief II. For the past eleven years, Tim has maintained private studios in Pasadena and Fullerton. He is currently writing a book on the classical female voice.