By Lillie Kieken
Back again as the culmination of Glow’s 2019 Festival Season, the second annual After-Glow Cabaret is set to take place August 4th. But what’s new? This year’s Gala will highlight the themes inspired by Jenna Tamisiea Elser’s vision for the summer festival season surrounding issues facing women and female empowerment. Guests can expect a wide range of artistic talent (not to mention a great spread of delicious food provided by The Cooking Shop and Reeves Catering- as well as an open bar!)
And at the director’s helm of “After Glow” is renowned vocal teacher Stephanie Samaras who has brought some innovative new changes to the formula. Samaras is known for being a pioneer in promoting healthy and flexible vocal technique, and she has brought that same creative energy towards combining the fun of last year’s cabaret with this seasons all too important themes.
“It’s a combination of great singing, some choreography, and some acting monologues,” says Samaras. “And these monologues are going to be written testimonies from actual people that have survived their tragedies, and tremendous obstacles.”
When asked how she has been able to incorporate the theme of “Show Me” into the Gala, Stephanie responded that “because it’s such a serious topic and touches your heart in many ways, some songs had to be a little more lighthearted that others, conveying the same message but in a different way.”
Stephanie was first introduced to Glow through her husband Ryan Allen, a performer and dear friend of all at Glow for several seasons. Ryan passed away 6 months ago, and Stephanie has expressed that this was also a way for her to honor him and their shared joy of telling powerful stories on stage.
If you would like to support Glow and participate in an evening of cabaret, prizes, and delicious catering, you only need to call the box office at 864-558-4569. Tickets are $65 for one, or $100 for two, with a special discount for season ticket holders.
More About Stephanie
Stephanie’s lecture and video, “Classical Training Applied to the Pop Voice” has been presented at the First International Conference of Voice Teachers in Strasbourg, France as well as the National NATS convention in Los Angeles. Stephanie has been a presenter at several NATS events on both the national and local level, as well as college campuses throughout the country. In addition to presenting at college campuses, Stephanie has also served as an Associate Professor at NYU, while also teaching privately at her studio. Stephanie’s studio is still represented on and off Broadway, on National Tours, regional theatre, and on recordings! Since then, Stepahanie has relocated to Charleston, South Carolina, where she is looking forward to building up her studio once again.
