DALLAS – The first entertainer of the day was an older woman donned in an oversized pink tie who launched into what she called a “kitchen dance” to a mellow, groovy R&B tune. A few hours later, a teenaged girl belted out what could have been a Broadway rendition of Radiohead’s “Creep.” Other performers up and down Quarantined Cabaret’s ever-churning feed played piano, sang show tunes and pop songs, recited poems, told jokes, and posted self-shot videos of every other imaginable type of performance art deemed appropriate for Facebook.

Local thespian and real estate agent Mikey Abrams created the group in March during the early days of the COVID-19 quarantine. Performing arts organizations were among the hardest hit by the shutdown, and Abrams wanted to create a safe outlet for performers of all skill levels and stripes to strut their stuff. He invited a few friends and made the page public.

From the moment Abrams lifted the curtain, pent-up creative energy from out-of-work actors, singers, and musicians bubbled over into the Q Cab. Overnight, the group ballooned to 3,000 members – and more than 20,000 after the first week. People from more than 30 countries spanning six continents kicked down the proverbial stage door to grab their share of the spotlight. As of this publishing date, the group stands at about 49,000 strong. Facebook officials even contacted Abrams to find out what he had done to grow the group so quickly.

“I don’t know,” he told them.

Ready for Their Closeup

A staffer from Facebook walked Abrams through the finer points of managing the theater-teacher-turned-real-estate-agent’s social media juggernaut. He formed a board and partnered with The Actor’s Fund, a local nonprofit that provides financial support for out-of-work actors. An area screen printer made shirts emblazoned with the slogan, “Spread joy, not the virus.” Abrams sold the shirts as another way to raise money for the Fund.

The group grew into a supportive community with a loyal following and a righteous cause. Anyone could perform anything. There weren’t a lot of rules, though it was a cardinal sin to mention the Coronavirus. Quarantined Cabaret was an escape from that gruesome reality.

“Originally, the rule was if you want to post something, go ahead,” he said. “If somebody sucks, don’t say anything. Just let them do their thing. And nothing about COVID. This is a safe space for artists to perform.”

Photo of Dallas actor Mikey Abrams (Photo Courtesy Mikey Abrams) 

The Show Must Go On

After protests erupted all over the country in the wake of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, Abrams felt he had to change the group’s format to reflect what was happening around the world. He knew he had a responsibility – and a powerful platform – to highlight unique artists.

“We decided to make our page have a higher purpose,” he said. “We began to filter what comes through. We have a featured artist of the day, focusing specifically on BIPOC, LGBTQIA artist, with it being pride month and in light of the Black Lives Matter movement.

“It’s important we don’t have a bunch of white Karens posting their 13th rendition of a Carrie Underwood song,” he said.

After Abrams posted a message supportive of social justice, hundreds of people left the group. Abrams said he wasn’t discouraged. After all, that’s showbiz, baby.

“I made one post saying Black lives matter, queer lives matter, and we celebrate unique artists in this group,” he said. “Thousands of people loved it and commented, saying, ‘Thank you.’ Other people decided this was not their group anymore. I say, ‘Well, OK. Bye, Felicia. That’s that.’

“Now our idiotic governor has put the pedal to the [COVID-19] metal, we’ve got Black men dying at the hands of police officers, and we’ve got Black trans lives and colored trans lives being murdered and discriminated against,” he continued. “We need to have some greater purpose than, ‘What a great song.’ The world is going to be moving along and evolving, and so are we.”

Requiring that posts be approved and featuring unique performers is just the first step in Q Cab’s transformation. The next step is to raise money for social justice causes. Abrams said he is waiting to hear feedback from group members. So far, everyone who stayed has been supportive.

“It is still a safe space for artists,” he said.” We also want people to know it’s a safe space for LGBTQIA artists, BITOC artists, and it’s going to be treated as equitably as possible.”