A presence of your own
An invitation to explore a recognisable artistic voice rather than conform to a single vocal or theatrical aesthetic.
An intensive workshop for actors in training
Vocal Technique
& the Art of Cabaret
The Sarkissian Method®
Four distinctive artists
A collective stage creation
Spoken and sung voice, musical interpretation, movement and theatrical imagination meet in an intensive artistic encounter.
A workshop for institutions wishing to give emerging performers space to develop their own artistic identity and bring it to the stage.
10 to 14 days
An intensive creative experienceFour artists
Complementary artistic practicesLive creation
A collective final performance Previous workshop experience since 2023 includes École du Nord, Lille, and École du Théâtre National de Strasbourg.
The workshop
Individual expression
Collective invention
Rooted in the cabaret tradition of Montmartre, Vocal Technique & the Art of Cabaret brings together vocal pedagogy and the experience of artists working on contemporary stages.
Each participant is invited to explore a distinctive stage identity and contribute to a shared theatrical and musical world. Individual attention and ensemble creation develop side by side.
The workshop culminates in a collective performance: not simply a demonstration of skills, but an artistic creation shaped by the people who take part.
Training brought into dialogue
Voice, music, acting and movement come together within one creative project, connecting different dimensions of the performer’s training.
Practice, not imitation
A sustained exchange with artists whose distinctive practices offer different ways of approaching character, musicality and the demands of live performance.
The Sarkissian Method®
Vocal technique
in the service
of artistic intention
Created by classical singer, researcher and educator Mariam Sarkissian, the Sarkissian Method® is a distinctive cognitive approach to spoken and sung vocal technique.
Its central concern is the relationship between technical development and creative intention: how vocal training can serve what the artist wishes to express.
Within the workshop, the Method provides a shared pedagogical foundation. Vocal work enters into dialogue with character, text, music and stage presence, while remaining attentive to each performer.
For an ambitious institution, this offers an opportunity to encounter a distinctive vocal pedagogy through artistic practice, in conversation with its existing curriculum.
A connected perspective
A shared approach to vocal expression for performers whose work moves between speech and song.
Creative intention at the centre
Technical development is approached in relation to musical and theatrical meaning, rather than as an isolated display.
Personal attention within shared creation
Individual vocal work contributes to a collective project whose ambition is to reveal distinctive performers within a coherent artistic world.
An artist’s pedagogy
A method developed by a practising singer, auth
Voice & music
A voice that belongs
to the performer
In cabaret, the voice is more than a musical instrument. It carries character, language, imagination and a particular relationship with the audience.
The workshop connects spoken and sung expression with artistic interpretation. Individual vocal attention and live musical collaboration support the development of each participant’s stage identity.
Songs in French and/or English become part of the collective creation, in dialogue with its characters and theatrical world.
Technique with an artistic purpose
Mariam Sarkissian’s work connects the development of the vocal instrument with the performer’s expressive choices. The aim is not to impose one sound, but to place technique at the service of a personal artistic intention.
Interpretation in the moment
Work with a pianist brings musical preparation into a living artistic exchange. Voice, accompaniment and theatrical meaning contribute to the emerging performance.
Movement & the art of cabaret
A body
A character
A world to invent
The cabaret stage invites transformation: a performer can invent another way of moving, appearing, speaking and singing.
Physical expression and theatrical imagination are explored alongside the voice. The workshop draws on the artists’ experience of cabaret, choreography and performance to connect presence with intention.
Participants develop their own ephemeral stage creatures and find a place within the troupe’s shared artistic world.
The body as a storyteller
Movement becomes a partner to voice and character, connecting musicality, precision and imagination.
Freedom with artistic purpose
An exploration of personal invention, identity and the expressive possibilities of a form that brings music and theatre into close contact.
Distinctive figures, a shared stage
Individual characters contribute to a collective creation, shaped by the artistic team and the performers.
The artists
Four distinctive practices
A shared artistic commitment
The workshop’s character comes from its team: artists and educators whose experience spans classical singing, Parisian cabaret, songwriting, choreography and theatre.
Their contribution is not interchangeable. Each brings a personal artistic practice, while working within a coherent pedagogical and creative project.
Mathieu Jedrazak
Singer, dancer, violinist, director and educator
Performing as Martin Poppins, Mathieu Jedrazak has been a resident artist at Madame Arthur in Paris since 2016. His work brings together cabaret, music, dance and theatrical invention.
His artistic experience ranges from the Opéra Bastille and the Opéra de Lyon to the Louvre and the Centre Pompidou. He creates and directs work for his own company, La BNS, and collaborates across contemporary performance.
Mathieu has practised and taught the Sarkissian Method since 2016. His teaching includes École du Nord, École du Théâtre National de Strasbourg, the Institut national du music-hall and the Coline dance training programme.
Within the workshop, he leads artistic direction and staging, accompanying participants in the creation of their characters and collective cabaret.
Mariam Sarkissian
Classical singer, researcher, essayist and educator
A graduate of the École normale de musique de Paris and a prizewinner in national and international competitions, Mariam Sarkissian performs in opera and vocal chamber music.
Her operatic repertoire includes Cherubino in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Oreste in Offenbach’s La Belle Hélène and the title role in Mascagni’s Zanetto. Her recording work explores rare and overlooked vocal chamber repertoire.
She is the creator of the Sarkissian Method®, a cognitive approach to spoken and sung vocal technique. Her books include Je pense, donc je chante, ou La Louange du belcanto cognitif (2018) and À la recherche du Si bémol (2025).
Her pedagogical practice includes the Maison d’éducation de la Légion d’honneur in Saint-Denis and the training of teachers of her Method. She has also presented her work within Collegium Musicæ at Sorbonne University.
Within the workshop, Mariam connects individual vocal development with the artistic intentions and collective demands of the emerging performance.
Loa Mercury
Singer, songwriter, pianist and cabaret artist
Trained in classical piano with Anna Parsamyan, Loa Mercury develops an artistic world that brings together French chanson, pop and a punk sensibility.
A resident artist at Madame Arthur since 2022, she took part in the cabaret’s Japanese tour in 2024. Her performance experience includes La Cigale, La Boule Noire, Les Trois Baudets and the Café de la Danse.
Her releases include the EP Ellipse and the single Un homme et une femme, a queer reworking of Pomme C, credited with Calogero and Zazie.
Loa has practised the Sarkissian Method since 2023. She brings piano accompaniment, musical preparation and the experience of building a personal stage identity to her work with participants and the final performance.
Arnaud Boursain
Choreographer, dancer and artistic director
Arnaud Boursain works at the intersection of physical theatre, dance and contemporary cabaret. His practice explores the body as a vehicle for emotion, narrative and transformation.
With Alexis Ochin, he forms the creative duo A&A. Their work brings them into collaboration with performers from contemporary and classical dance, circus and other physical disciplines.
His collaborations include projects for Cirque du Soleil, Nevada Ballet Theatre and the Lido de Paris, as well as work in fashion, live events and televised performance.
Within the workshop, Arnaud connects grounding, precision, musicality and imagination. His contribution develops physical expression in dialogue with voice, character and ensemble presence.
Featured team from the current presentation dossier. The participating team and its availability are confirmed for each engagement.