Pinch Cabaret #50

Schedule

Sat May 23 2026 at 08:00 pm to 11:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Button Factory Arts | Waterloo, ON

Freewheeling variety show at Button Factory Arts in KW!
About this Event

The Pinch Cabaret is KW’s monthly variety show, performance laboratory, and community arts party. An unexpected mix of Video Installation, Poetry, Singer-Songwriters, Stand Up Comedy, Performance Art, Zines & who knows what else!

Hosted and curated by curious ape . Get ready for a diverse bill that'll surprise audiences and bring together disparate artistic communities!

Featuring:

  • is the artistic duo Kristyna Balaban & Adam Široký, who specialise in interactive, immersive audio-visual installations and live visuals at performances. The windows of the Button Factory will become windows into the past - a glimpse into the everyday life in the city Łódź, Poland, during the first half of the 20th century.
  • is an queer artist who refuses categorization, including the category of refusing categorization. she also loves birds. emme does stand-up which may or may not devolve into improvised dance and clown drag. emphasis on the may not.
  • is an artist based in Southern Ontario who works in screen printing, performance and installation work. Much of her work is influenced by her diasporic upbringing in Canada and Balkan culture. She is also the founder of local fine arts magazine, Kul Tekst. In her performance piece Practice she confronts the normalization of violence against women, and explores intergenerational trauma and how the past continues to shape the present.
  • Zack Mason is an artist and writer based on block two of the Haldimand Tract (Kitchener). Mainly a writer of fiction, he's interested in anything silly, gross, strange and beautiful. Zack will be telling some stories, reciting a poem, and reading from his novel in-progress, Darling, which is about a young clown who mistakenly stumbles into kinky sex work.
  • Kori Myslichuk’s favourite part of a song has always been the lyrics. It wasn’t until she taught herself guitar that she started turning her poems into something a bit more. Which meant she had to be ready to sing… if only for herself to be able to hear them. But for Pinch she will be singing and playing original songs in public for the first time!
  • And for the Pinch Zine Series, this month we’ll release “oracles, spells and farewells”, by  and Zack Mason. haley is an artist, organizer, researcher, and songbird. Zack is a writer and artist. Both are based on Block Two of the Haldimand Tract, where they met and fell in love on Peter Street. For Pinch, they are sharing a collection of spells, a farewell for now, all guided by an ever growing deck of oracle cards Zack made haley for journeys through the lowlands.

---

Advance tickets are $5 / $10 / $20 / $30 - you choose the option that's right for you

Limited tickets will be available at the door

Indigenous community members are welcomed to attend for free.

Enormous thanks to Waterloo Region Community Foundation, Ontario Arts Council, City of Kitchener, City of Waterloo, and The Registry Theatre for their generous support, allowing for accessible ticket pricing!

---

Doors: 7:45

Show: 8:00

---

VENUE:

We're back at Button Factory Arts - 25 Regina St, Waterloo.

---

:

Ben Gorodetsky (he/they)is a performance maker, filmmaker, writer, and producer based in Kitchener, Ontario. They are the creator and former host of experimental variety show Dirt Buffet Cabaret, and former technical director at NYC burlesque theatre Duane Park. His performance work has been presented by The Art Gallery of Ontario, CAFKA, Femme Folks Fest, LUMEN, Open Ears, Movement Research at Judson Church, The Tank NYC, Mile Zero Dance, Guelph Dance Festival, Hillside Fest, Brian Webb Dance Company, Expanse Festival of Movement Arts, Rubaboo Festival, SpringWorks, and the Gas Station Arts Centre. They are the former Associate Artistic Director of Rapid Fire Theatre and have performed, taught, and directed improvisation in Atlanta, Detroit, Austin, Philadelphia, NYC, LA, Reunion Island, Vienna, Ljubljana, Montreal, Toronto, Yellowknife, Calgary, and Vancouver. He is co-creator of political satire comedy duo Folk Lordz (VICE). Ben is the winner of the 2016 Emerging Artist Award at the Mayor's Celebration for the Arts (Edmonton), the Anna Pidruchney Young Writers award, and a nominee for a Canadian Comedy Award and a Waterloo Region Arts Award. He is Creator and Executive Producer of CTV docuseries "MY PET ATE WHAT?", out now on Crave. They teach at UWaterloo, and hold an MFA from Brooklyn College-CUNY and a BFA from the University of Alberta.

---

Show poster by Aaron Read

Where is it happening?

Button Factory Arts, 25 Regina Street South, Waterloo, Canada
Tickets

CAD 6.85 to CAD 33.59

Icon
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Pinch Cabaret

Host or Publisher Pinch Cabaret

Ask AI if this event suits you:

Discover More Events in Waterloo

Lee Valley Tools Waterloo Store - Pyrography Key Rack Workshop
Sat, 23 May at 12:30 pm Lee Valley Tools Waterloo Store - Pyrography Key Rack Workshop

620 Davenport Rd

FITNESS ART
Mom's Gone Mild at Maxwell's
Sat, 23 May at 06:00 pm Mom's Gone Mild at Maxwell's

35 University Avenue East, Waterloo, ON, Canada, Ontario N2J 2V9

ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS
Ink Nite
Sat, 23 May at 06:30 pm Ink Nite

238 King St N

ART
Community Campfire
Sat, 23 May at 07:00 pm Community Campfire

Columbia lake fire pit 2

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Trinkets Toy & Collectibles Show May 24th, 2026 R.I.M Park Waterloo
Sun, 24 May at 09:30 am Trinkets Toy & Collectibles Show May 24th, 2026 R.I.M Park Waterloo

2001 University Ave E, Waterloo, ON N2K, Canada

TRIPS-ADVENTURES KIDS
SMM- Yoga with Ambassador Matt
Sun, 24 May at 09:30 am SMM- Yoga with Ambassador Matt

Conestoga Mall

FITNESS HEALTH-WELLNESS
PETER VINOGRADE, piano
Sun, 24 May at 03:00 pm PETER VINOGRADE, piano

Maureen Forester Hall

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Collective Health - Strapped Fitness
Mon, 25 May at 10:00 am Collective Health - Strapped Fitness

Strapped Fitness

FITNESS WORKSHOPS
Improv Workshop & Jam | Pay What You Can
Thu, 30 Jan at 07:00 pm Improv Workshop & Jam | Pay What You Can

Visitor Information Centre

WORKSHOPS ART
The KW Community Improv Jam!
Tue, 03 Feb at 07:00 pm The KW Community Improv Jam!

10 Father David Bauer Dr

Pinch Presents: SHOW & TELL - Open Mic
Thu, 05 Feb at 07:00 pm Pinch Presents: SHOW & TELL - Open Mic

Visitor Information Centre

OPEN-MIC ART
Midnight Run Comedy Show - May 22
Fri, 22 May at 07:00 pm Midnight Run Comedy Show - May 22

Midnight Run Cafe

COMEDY ENTERTAINMENT
Tell All Your Friends - Alternative Night KW
Fri, 22 May at 10:00 pm Tell All Your Friends - Alternative Night KW

Uptown Waterloo

Pinch Cabaret #50
Sat, 23 May at 08:00 pm Pinch Cabaret #50

Button Factory Arts

ART MUSIC
Randy's Cheeseburger Picnic (Trailer Park Boys) Waterloo ON
Wed, 27 May at 07:00 pm Randy's Cheeseburger Picnic (Trailer Park Boys) Waterloo ON

Maxwell's Concerts & Events

ENTERTAINMENT TRIPS-ADVENTURES
RAZZLE FRAZZLE a comedic play of epic proportions.
Wed, 27 May at 07:00 pm RAZZLE FRAZZLE a comedic play of epic proportions.

Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre

COMEDY ART
Rusty Nail Comedy at Morty's Pub: HL Freddy Prioia*8 PM Showtime*
Sat, 30 May at 07:30 pm Rusty Nail Comedy at Morty's Pub: HL Freddy Prioia*8 PM Showtime*

Morty's Pub

FITNESS COMEDY
Drag Bingo Brunch Hosted by Crystal Quartz - Abe Erb - Waterloo
Sun, 07 Jun at 12:00 pm Drag Bingo Brunch Hosted by Crystal Quartz - Abe Erb - Waterloo

ABE ERB - Uptown Waterloo

ENTERTAINMENT PERFORMANCES
KWLT Presents You\u2019re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
Fri, 12 Jun at 07:30 pm KWLT Presents You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown

Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
4th Annual Chips and Giggles Golf Event in support of KidsAbility
Wed, 15 Jul at 09:00 am 4th Annual Chips and Giggles Golf Event in support of KidsAbility

Badlands Golf Company

SPORTS NONPROFIT

What's Happening Next in Waterloo?

Discover Waterloo Events