The countdown to the MAC AWARDS is in full force. The tension is mounting; the competition is at fever pitch. Just a word from someone who has seen this same scenario played out for almost 20 years: don't take it all too seriously. After all, the so-called "MAC community" is only a small portion of the cabaret community, and the actual award means far more out of town than it does here in NYC. You won't lose a single fan if you don't win the award. All the folks who love you now will continue to love you whether you win or lose. And wise booking agents - where ever they are located - know exactly how little winning an award has to do with talent and quality. Its an item for your resume.
And the original reason for the MAC awards - to promote cabaret awareness - has been lost in the oft-times destructive actions of "award winning." Very talented folks have actually ceased performing because they weren't "recognized by the MAC community". Losing an award or not getting on the ballot is not a sign of rejection. Most MAC voters only see a handful of cabaret shows a year - and usually only shows put on by their friends. Most MAC voters make their choices not according to the rules (one should only vote for performers you have actually seen in performance that year) and but instead vote at the urging of friends and acquaintances. If the MAC members who actually vote annually really went to all the performances they voted for on the preliminary ballot, there wouldn't be enough cabaret rooms to go around.
Each year I see terrific, fantastic, ground-breaking cabaret shows that never make the cut because they weren't seen by the right people. And each year I see sloppy, cookie-cutter, boring shows that do get on the ballot because they were seen by the right people. I will make an admission here. In those years I was a MAC member, I hardly ever sent in a ballot - preliminary or final. I knew who the real winners were - folks who were moving the art of cabaret forward. And they knew who they were, too, and an award was not important to their artistry.
