Tanya Holt

cabaret

After completing the Opera Diploma at Birkbeck College, University of London, I went on to work in opera in education, playing a variety of soprano roles. I later diversified into musical theatre and now work predominantly in a cabaret context.

I am probably most well-known as a founding member of ShooShooBaby, a long standing and busy musical cabaret act. Anna Braithwaite, who I met while studying opera, and I, have been creating shows under the name ShooShooBaby for over 20-years. One such show is The Entire History of Cabaret (co-written and directed by Steve Marmion), a well-reviewed potted musical history lesson, for which I wrote much of the original music. We have produced three official sell-out shows for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Assembly Rooms and Gilded Balloon) as well as appearing at the National Theatre, Epsom Playhouse, The Arts Theatre (London), Riverside Studios, The Mill at Yvonne Arnaud Guildford, St James Theatre (London), Derby Assembly Rooms, Les Salons (Geneva) and several times at the wonderful Bar Jeder Vernunft (Berlin). We have performed on radio and written and recorded jingles for Cartoon Network and recorded two albums. ShooShooBaby have entertained at venues such as The Dorchester Hotel, The Savoy and Goodwood House and are doyennes of the National Rural Touring schemes.

In addition to our own writing, we perform close-harmony arrangements of well-known music much of which I accompany on musical saw, Indian harmonium and autoharp. You can watch examples of ShooShooBaby in action on this website on the Video page.

We undertake commissions to create tailored cabaret shows and bespoke songs for all manner of events. To see who we have worked with and read a few reviews or make a booking for your event, please visit ShooShooBaby.

tanya in musical theatre

My most recent principal, musical theatre project, that has kept me busy for nearly 3 years, has been my Arts Council England supported project Cautionary Tales for Daughters (Songs your mother never taught you) a 90-minute, powerful, 2-hander, song-cycle about future-proofing our daughters, accompanied throughout by filmic backdrops and animation. I wrote, produced and performed this piece under the direction of Robin Kingsland and toured to theatres and festivals around the UK, including a run at the Jermyn Street Theatre in central London.

As a performer, this project has been the most challenging of my career. A demanding role that requires courage and truthfulness to present some harrowing personal stories. Please go to Video to watch videos and hear samples of some of the songs, the themes of which have been informed by the general public.