*Content warning - We discuss violence in this episode, in the context of writing about dark stories. If you feel like this may be a topic that brings up issues for you,  go back and have a listen to Michelle Brasier's episode - she's a bubbly wonder! Next episode will be ridiculously cheerful. This one's still interesting, however I thought you should know.*

Welcome to the first special Melbourne Cabaret Festival episode of the podcast!

In between touring with musicals and teaching performance, Karlis Zaid has been splashing about in the dark side of cabaret for years and years. Zaid is currently appearing in the 2016 Melbourne Cabaret Festival with 'Australian Horror Story', as show he originally wrote with Karin Muiznieks in 2012. Since then, he's reworked, rewritten and added content, roped in the magnificent Aurora Sheehan (nee Kurth) and Mark Jones as co-performers and managed to snaffle Steven Gates from Tripod to direct (and I'm not jealous at all) and is re-launching the show in June 2016. From Collingwood vampires being terrified of contracting Hep C to chirpy little songs about capital punishment, Zaid makes some of my output seem hopelessly Pollyanna-esque.

Playing 17-19 June 2016 at Chapel Off Chapel. Book through the Melbourne Cabaret Festival website. Sexy people book. And you wanna be sexy, don't you?

And thanks for putting up with perhaps a slightly more dodgy sound quality than usual. With the show prep it's been a bit of a rush to get stuff out but there will be a RASH of episodes in June, as we gear up to the festival.