Mission Statement

The Summer Cabaret 2007 is dedicated to creating a holistic and entertaining theatrical experience for New Haven audiences, with a focus on visceral, physical work that is diverse in form and creative process.

Performance Information

Performances take place at 8:00pm Wednesday through Saturday. Doors open at 6:00 for dinner by Chef Anna Belcher. The Summer Cabaret is located at 217 Park Street between Chapel and Edgewood streets in downtown New Haven.

For tickets or detailed schedule, please call 203.432.1567.

Summer Cabaret History

Thirty-three years ago this summer, the Summer Cabaret was incorporated as Ensemble Company for the Performing Arts and since then it has been bringing quality theatre to the Greater New Haven community. Since 1974 Summer Cabaret has produced over 174 mainstage shows. Known best for attracting a high quality of talent, Summer Cabaret is a mainstay of professional theatre in the summer months for the Greater New Haven community.

Summer Cabaret’s rich and colorful history includes world premieres of several plays, notably Christopher Durang’s The Marriage of Bette and Boo and Wendy Wasserstein’s Any Woman Can’t. Playwright Richard Greenberg has also been featured in past Summer Cabaret productions. Summer Cabaret audiences have enjoyed performances by students who have become some of film and television’s most recognizable faces, including Tony Shalhoub (Monk), David Alan Grier (Life With Bonnie), Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle), Courtney B. Vance (Law and Order: Criminal Intent) and Meryl Streep. Over the years, scores of notable people have worked behind the scenes including multiple Tony Award-winning costume designer William Ivey Long (The Producers, Crazy for You, Nine), former Chair of Yale School of Drama’s Acting Program and Obie Award-winning director Evan Yionoulis, the Pew Charitable Trust’s Director of Cultural Programs Marian Godfrey, and Long Wharf Theater’s Managing Director, Joan Channick.

Though housed on the Yale University campus, Summer Cabaret is a separate 501(c)(3) entity that relies on the support of the community, local businesses, corporations, and ticket sales to cover the cost of producing high-quality theatre each summer. Summer Cabaret has a Board of Trustees comprised of members of both the Greater New Haven and Yale University communities.