OCU CARE Celebrates Diversity with 4TH Annual Color Cabaret -

The full cast of OCU CARE’s Color Cabaret poses onstage with the “OCU Stars” hand sign. OCU CARE is an advocacy group dedicated to promoting marginalized communities in the arts. The Color Cabaret is an annual show where songs are exclusively performed by students of color. (Image courtesy of OCU CARE)

Oklahoma City University Creatives for Artistic and Realistic Equity (CARE) presented their first major event of the year, Color Cabaret, last Wednesday September 13th. Color Cabaret is an annual musical performance dedicated to showcasing performers of color. This year was the 4^th annual cabare which serves as a fundraiser for the organization.

The night was hosted by junior BFA Acting major Alexandria Magana, one of the organization’s racial and ethnic diversity branch leaders. Magana co-heads in this position with sophomore Music Theatre major Morgan Lane. As the branch leaders, these two were ultimately responsible for the execution of the night.

Performers of many different ethnic and racial backgrounds took the stage throughout the night to sing their hearts out. The evening began with a full company performance of “Magic to Do” from Pippin and concluded with “Brand New Day” from The Wiz. In between these group numbers, solos and duets were performed. Performances ranged tremendously – from Disney to Broadway to original works.

Some of these outstanding performances included “Suddenly Seymore” from Little Shop of Horrors performed by Myles Nzoiwu and Bethany Bishop, “Heart of Stone” from Six by Anjali Radha and “Independently Owned” from Shucked by Abigail Stephenson. Also notable was a dance performance by senior Kyra Michiko Po’ipe Gomes who performed a traditional Hawaiian dance after a moving speech asking the audience to help save her people in the aftermath of the wildfires this summer. The full cast for the night can be found here: Color Cabaret Program

The energy in the crowd was palpable with several standing ovations happening throughout the night. Audiences were quick to acknowledge the talent of their peers and celebrate it.

This year brought in an even greater crowd than in the previous year due to the involvement of the School of Theatre. In years past, this event has been largely separated across schools but increased efforts this year are attempting to eliminate that barrier.

The night ended with a touching closing statement from Magana who said, “This is what Broadway looks like, and let’s never forget it.”

Those interested in getting involved or learning more about OCU CARE should visit their Instagram @ocucare