Expats in Gwangju will gather for a night of cabaret Saturday, courtesy of the Gwangju Performance Project.

Previous cabaret nights have focused on music, but this year the troupe is broadening the range of entertainment and adding a “masquerade” theme.

“This year I wanted to diversify the lineup a bit, really make sure that we had something for everyone in the Gwangju community,” said Ender Waters, the show’s director.

“So I went back to the original cabarets in Paris in the late 19th, early 20th century and looked at the kinds of things they were doing and found that it was really more of a variety show -- singing, dancing, stand-up comedy, political commentary, etc.”

There will still be a lot of music he explained, but this year it came with the addition of several stand-up acts, poetry and a performance by the GPP‘s dance troupe headed by Thando Mlambo.

Waters said the event, with a formal dress code, was a chance for the city’s expats to pull all the stops out for a night.

“Gwangju has a very close-knight foreigner community. There’s not as many of us here as there are in places like Seoul and Busan, so you tend to get to know a pretty high percentage of the other foreigners in the city,” he said.

“Cabaret has become a kind of way for the foreigner community to all get together one night a year for a really classy, adult night out.

“It doesn‘t hurt that we have such a high number of disproportionately talented people in the city who are willing to work their asses off to put on a really amazing show.”

This year, guests are asked to bring a mask to match the Masquerade theme, which Waters said would include acts that were seductive, mysterious and suggestive.

“When I took over I wanted us to have more focus so we could put together a coherent night. After trying out a few ideas on paper I picked the Masquerade theme because it’s always been something I, and I think a lot of other people, have always been a bit fascinated by and love participating in.”

Advance tickets, available until 5 p.m. Friday, are 20,000 won and include one seat at a 4-person VIP table and a complimentary dessert and cheese package. Contact gpptickets@gmail.com for reservations.

The performance, which is not suitable for children, starts at 7:30 p.m. at Party Town 57 in Dong-gu. Doors open at 6:45 p.m.

By Paul Kerry (paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)