Behind the scenes with a Cabaret Vs Cancer charity volunteer

When you think about a night at a cabaret show, you probably picture performers, costumes, music, lights and, hopefully, a very enthusiastic audience.

When I think about one, I also think about raffle tickets.

Lots and lots of raffle tickets.

My name is Luna Lussuria, I'm a London-based burlesque performer, and I volunteer with Cabaret Vs Cancer, a charity that brings together the cabaret community to raise funds to support people affected by cancer.

Most of my volunteering happens where I already spend a considerable amount of my life: at cabaret shows. Except that instead of getting ready backstage, I'm often out front selling raffle tickets or behind the merch table, chatting to audiences and helping turn a brilliant night of entertainment into an opportunity to raise money for an important cause.

I've volunteered at events including Ashes to Ashes, Gallifrey Cabaret, and Great British Striptease, among others. And while every event is different, there are a few things I've come to expect from a night volunteering for Cabaret Vs Cancer.

Before the show

An evening as a cabaret charity volunteer normally begins before the first performer has even stepped onto the stage.

There are raffle tickets to organise, merchandise to get ready and, depending on what I’m doing that night, either a merch table to set up or a room full of people to eventually persuade that yes, they absolutely do need another strip of raffle tickets.

One of my favourite things about volunteering at cabaret events is that it doesn’t feel disconnected from the show itself. You’re part of the atmosphere.

Cabaret audiences are generally there because they want to have fun, and selling raffle tickets gives you an excuse to speak to people you might never otherwise meet. You explain what Cabaret Vs Cancer does, tell them about the raffle and occasionally deploy your very best sales technique when somebody insists they “never win anything”.

For the record, somebody has to win.

It could be you.

Buy the ticket.

Raffle tickets, merch, and a lot of conversations

Once the audience starts arriving, that’s when the volunteering really begins.

My main role at shows is helping raise funds through raffle ticket and merchandise sales. If I’m on raffle duty, that usually means making my way around the venue with tickets in hand, talking to people and trying to catch as many willing victims — sorry, generous supporters — as possible.

On other nights, I’ll be behind the charity merch table, selling Cabaret Vs Cancer goodies and chatting to people who stop by.

It sounds simple — and, to be fair, it is — but it’s also one of the most direct ways of seeing how lots of small contributions can add up.

A few pounds for raffle tickets here, a bit of merchandise there, someone coming back during the interval because they’ve decided they would, in fact, like another chance to win… Individually, these might seem like small amounts. By the end of the night, they can become something much more significant.

And alongside the fundraising itself, there are the conversations.

Some people already know Cabaret Vs Cancer and are keen to support it. Others haven’t heard of the charity before and want to know more. Sometimes somebody stops because they’re interested in a piece of merchandise or wants a raffle ticket and ends up asking about the work CvC does.

I really enjoy that side of volunteering. It’s a reminder that being there isn’t only about raising money on the night — it’s also about making the charity visible and introducing it to people who might not have come across it before.

Experiencing cabaret from the other side

Being a burlesque performer myself makes volunteering at shows particularly interesting.

I’m normally very familiar with the other side of the curtain: getting into costume, checking props, listening for music cues and trying not to discover five minutes before going on stage that an essential part of my costume has mysteriously disappeared.

Volunteering gives me the chance to experience the same world from a completely different perspective.

I’ve been able to volunteer at wonderfully different events, from Ashes to Ashes to Gallifrey Cabaret and Great British Striptease, each with its own performers, audience and atmosphere.

What they have in common is that sense of community.

Cabaret is a wonderfully varied world. Burlesque and drag performers, comedians, singers, circus artists, producers, photographers, venues and audiences all cross paths within it. What I love about Cabaret vs Cancer is the way it taps into that community and gives us an opportunity to use something we already love to support something bigger.

There’s also something quite nice about being at a cabaret show without having to worry about whether my pasties are going to stay attached.

It’s the little things.

A very different kind of volunteering

One of my favourite experiences with Cabaret Vs Cancer actually took me away from the raffle tickets entirely.

I had the opportunity to be part of a creative fundraising project alongside photographer Pauline (IG:@paultergeist.be) and other students from the Soho School of Burlesque: creating the 2026 Soho School of Burlesque calendar to raise funds for Cabaret vs Cancer.

This was obviously a very different way of getting involved.

Instead of selling something at a show, we were helping to create something that could itself raise money for the charity. I loved being able to contribute to CvC in a completely different way, this time through photography and burlesque alongside other people from our community.

As performers, we spend a lot of time creating things anyway: acts, costumes, photos, shows. So there was something particularly lovely about putting that creativity towards a fundraising project.

It also showed me that volunteering for a charity doesn’t necessarily have to mean doing one particular job. There are lots of ways to contribute, and sometimes you can use the skills, interests or connections you already have.

Why I keep coming back

There’s something very immediate about volunteering at a fundraising event.

You can physically see the raffle tickets disappearing from your hands. You see people walking away from the merch table with something they’ve bought. You watch people get involved with the raffle, ask questions about the charity and encourage their friends to join in.

At the end of the night, all of those little interactions have contributed towards the same purpose.

I also love that Cabaret Vs Cancer allows the cabaret community to support people affected by cancer without losing what makes our community what it is.

The reason behind the fundraising is serious, of course, but the way we come together to do it can still be joyful, colourful and sometimes a little chaotic.

There can be fabulous costumes, ridiculous jokes, rhinestones, striptease, science fiction, great prizes and someone appearing at your table for the third time that evening asking whether you’re absolutely sure you don’t want another raffle ticket.

And I think there’s something really valuable in that.

So, what does a day in the life of a Cabaret Vs Cancer charity volunteer look like?

For me, it might mean arriving at a cabaret venue, finding the Cabaret Vs Cancer team and getting ready for the night — whether that’s heading into the audience armed with raffle tickets or staying behind the merch table to sell merchandise and chat with people about the charity.

It means talking to people, answering questions and encouraging them to get involved. And as the night goes on, watching those raffle tickets gradually disappear from my hands, seeing people leave with CvC merchandise and knowing that every sale is contributing to the funds raised that night.

And, as a rather nice bonus, it means getting to see some fantastic cabaret along the way.

It’s also given me a chance to be part of an industry I love from a different perspective. On those nights I’m not the performer waiting backstage for my cue; I’m one of the people helping use that show and its audience to make a difference.

The thing I’ve learned from volunteering with Cabaret Vs Cancer is that you don’t necessarily need a huge amount of time or a very specific skill to contribute. Giving up an evening, helping behind a merch table, selling a few more raffle tickets or bringing your own creativity to a project might not feel like much individually, but it all adds up.

For me, that’s what volunteering with Cabaret Vs Cancer is about: giving a little of my time to a community I love, and helping that community give something back.

And if I can do that while surrounded by fabulous performers, beautiful costumes and an unreasonable quantity of rhinestones, I really can’t complain.

Join Cabaret Vs Cancer as a charity volunteer

Interested in charity volunteer work like this? We’re always looking for fabulous folk to join us at our events, so please feel free to check out our volunteering page, and get in touch to have a chat.