The community is invited to the Louise ImMasche Celebration Tour Cabaret — featuring music and videos by the beloved local theatre performer who died in October — which will help birth a fund at Theatre Lawrence to support striving artists.
ImMasche, 41, a sparkling member of the Lawrence arts community and a frequent star on Theatre Lawrence stages, was killed in a car crash in October.
ImMasche’s husband, Zak Grant, said attendees can expect performances from ImMasche’s friends and collaborators, including poetry, original songs and musicals.
“People are invited to bring something of their own making to display on stage, and these pieces will be returned at the end of the show where they will be welcome to exchange with other attendees as a symbol of connection in hard times,” Grant wrote via message.
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The event is “pay-what-you-can” with a $10 ticket minimum. Free tickets will be available at the door the night of the show. Merchandise will also be available for suggested donations, but there will be free items to ensure everyone can go home with a treasure.
All ticket sales and merch donations will go toward the Louise ImMasche Striving Artist Fund that Grant is establishing through Theatre Lawrence.
Although the exact timeline, parameters and plans for the fund are fluid, it will ultimately benefit a small artist looking to finance the production of an original musical.
“(W)e want to make sure we set this up in a way that honors Louise’s memory, can be sustainable, and incorporated in a meaningful way into the diverse range of things happening at Theatre Lawrence,” Executive Director Jamie Ulmer said via email.
Grant said the fund honors an issue that was close to ImMasche’s heart: ensuring independent artists have the resources they need to make their creative magic happen.
“The fund will be used repeatedly for that purpose as long as it has the funding,” Grant wrote. “One of Louise’s greatest challenges was funding their own shows to production, and this is a way to help others like my husband have one more avenue to accomplish their dreams.”
Grant’s dress code for the showcase is to come as you are, whatever that may look like.
“(W)ear that thing you’ve always wanted to but never knew where. Be punk, glitz, glam, wild, loud, or even quiet if that’s your style, but (be) who you feel most comfortable being,” he wrote.
Doors open at 7 p.m., with the Louise ImMasche Celebration Tour Cabaret starting at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22 at Theatre Lawrence, 4660 Bauer Farm Drive.
“From music made by Louise, to shows that inspired them, to the people that made their life so rich, this event is a showcase of a small part of what makes life so large,” per the event page for the cabaret.
Tickets can be purchased at this link. People can contribute directly to Louise’s Striving Artist Fund at this link.
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Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at wulfe@lawrencekstimes.com.
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