UNC Pauper Players Kick Off Season With Miscast Cabaret Fundraiser

The UNC Pauper Players launched their 2026-27 theater season on Sept. 24 with a genderbent cabaret fundraiser titled “Miscast” at Hill Hall, bringing together student performers for grassroots musical theater.

A Grassroots Student Theater Tradition at Hill Hall

The student-led musical theatre company designed the Sept. 24 event to showcase both individual numbers and group performances. The lineup featured selections such as “The Bitch of Living” from “Spring Awakening” and a five-person rendition of “Cell Block Tango” from “Chicago.” Pauper Players President Gaby Hinckle explained that the cabaret format intentionally opened the stage beyond traditional vocalists.

“We also got to get more dancers involved, rather than just people that wanted to sing,” Hinckle said. “So that also goes to our mission of getting more people involved.”

Senior Van Pierson performed in the “Cell Block Tango” number after joining the production through his roommate, Hinckle. Although not an official member of the theater company, Pierson highlighted the collaborative environment of the rehearsal and performance process.

“I enjoyed the community that was built with it, and just working through acting and working through the roles,” Pierson said.

Lauren Berlin, a teaching assistant professor in the UNC Department of Music who attended the performance, noted that the event captured the distinct energy of a student cabaret compared to standard theatrical productions.

The finale of the genderbent ‘Cell Block Tango’, it felt like a really nice culmination of the spirit of both a cabaret, where things get to be sillier than in regular theater, and also of the event as a really grassroots, student-led theater experience, Berlin said.

Funding Future Productions and Campus Community

Beyond the stage performances, the fundraiser incorporated several community-driven revenue streams. Attendees purchased handmade stickers, keychains, baked goods, and soda, while a raffle offered two tickets to a performance of “Hadestown” at the Durham Performing Arts Center.

The proceeds from “Miscast” directly support upcoming Pauper Players productions, covering operational expenses and production rights. Future staging requirements include costume replacements for “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and set piece budgets for “We Are the Tigers.”

“Theater is not cheap, performance isn’t cheap, so it’s really awesome to see the community come out and help out,” Hinckle said.

Senior Varleine Coq, who performed in "The Bitch of Living," emphasized that the interpersonal connections formed during these projects provide a vital support system for students managing academic demands.

Community is everything, Coq said. Getting together with people that you know or don’t know and just having a fun time is really what’s going to get us through the next couple months, with midterms and finals.

Sustaining Student Theater Since 1989

Operating at UNC since 1989, The Pauper Players rely on consistent audience turnout and diverse forms of volunteer contribution to maintain campus operations. Hinckle emphasized that sustaining independent campus theater depends on cumulative, grassroots participation.

“It’s the little things that count, and that community-oriented approach to fundraising is really what keeps theater going,” Hinckle said.

Berlin observed that this resourcefulness defines the enduring appeal and cultural value of student-run performing arts organizations on university campuses.

It’s nice to see the ways that students with very minimal resources are able to create on campus, Berlin said, And just be able to find community with each other and do innovative things with a canon of work that exists and is meaningful to them.