Adelaide Festival Centre’s Adelaide Cabaret Festival and centrED invite you to nominate yourself or a talented performing arts student currently in Year 10 or 11 to participate in the Class of Cabaret 2026 program. The successful applicants will take part in rehearsals and workshops throughout Terms 1 & 2 culminating in performances during the 2026 Adelaide Cabaret Festival.

Students will receive mentorship in the art of cabaret performance from two renowned artists and tuition from one of Adelaide's leading vocal teachers. In addition, Adelaide Festival Centre's CentrED program will provide a Department for Education teacher to guide each student through assessments to achieve SACE accreditation.

A live round of auditions will take place during Term 4, Week 1 (Tuesday 14 October - Thursday 16 October 2025, venue TBC), and applicants will be contacted to confirm audition times by COB Monday 22 September.

Applicants will be notified of auditions results via email the week following auditions.  

If we require further information, we will contact applicants. 

Apply Now

ABSOLUTELY DO IT! If you dream of a career in the arts, especially in cabaret, you need to do this course.

— Charlie, Class of Cabaret 2025 participant

Never in my previous artistic endeavours have I felt so supported for my perspectives and creativity within a large scale professional event such as the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Through this program, I feel as though I’ve unlocked so many exciting new opportunities, and discovered the many pathways I can take to become a confident artist AND person.

— Metahlia, Class of Cabaret 2025 participant

About Class of Cabaret

Class of Cabaret provides a unique learning opportunity for talented, passionate and courageous secondary students from various high schools to share their own perspectives through cabaret performance.

Class of Cabaret began in 2010 under the artistic direction of David Campbell at Adelaide Cabaret Festival.  In 2026, Class of Cabaret's seventeenth year, students will develop the skills to engage the audience as they explore issues and ideas, using the cabaret artform as a voice for their generation.

Adelaide Cabaret Festival provides an expert team to develop each performer’s skills through masterclasses, workshops, and creative development sessions throughout Terms 1 & 2. The participants produce two spectacular shows for a ticketed public performance as part of the 2026 Adelaide Cabaret Festival, while also gaining accreditation towards their SACE. They will also receive guidance from an experienced accompanist, tuition from one of Adelaide's leading vocal teachers and mentorship in the art of cabaret performance from two renowned Adelaide artists.

SACE Connection

A fundamental part of the program is that all students enrol cross-institutionally through Thebarton Senior College and work with a Department for Education teacher to achieve tertiary admissible SACE credits in either Stage 1 or Stage 2. Undertaking the SACE class is a compulsory part of the program. Students study Creative Arts with Class of Cabaret during rehearsals and online.

Students have the option of enrolling in a 20 Stage 2 Creative Arts evening class that runs from 4-7pm on Tuesday nights (day TBC for 2026) at Thebarton Senior College to develop additional performing art skills that complement the program.

If you have questions about the curriculum, SACE flexibilities, or enrolment options, please contact our team.

Being a part of this unique South Australian experience is a chance to enrich curriculum learning, develop friendships with students from other schools and meet with professional artists as part of the official Adelaide Cabaret Festival.

Preparing for Your Audition

Applicants for the Class of Cabaret program should prepare:

Either two contrasting songs (maximum 2 minutes each)

Or one 2min song and one 2min variety act (this could be dance, rap, stand-up comedy, spoken word poetry, clowning, magic or a monologue)

The two pieces should be performed off-by-heart for the panel at the live auditions and should be contrasting, in that they have a different feel, genre or reflect different sides of your personality or interests. Each piece should be a MAXIMUM of 2 minutes long, students should cut each song/act accordingly to ensure they don’t run over the time limit.

Find out more information about how to prepare here.

Applicants will be notified of auditions results via email the week following auditions.

If we require further information, we will contact applicants.