Rallying for Rene

While she has never stepped onto our stage in Vermont, the Vermont Burlesque Festival likely wouldn’t exist without Madeline Sinclaire (Rene).

In 2009, Madeline Sinclair (Rene)

introduced me (Cory, aka Luke Warm) to the world of burlesque by taking me to my very first show: The Monday Night Tease in Hollywood. It wasn't long after that I asked Madeline if she thought we could produce a show together. She said yes. We co-produced a sold-out show in Redondo Beach called "BEAUTEASE"—and it was in that room, watching the community come together, that I rediscovered my passion for bringing people together through art & celebrations.

A few years later, that spark led to the birth of the Vermont Burlesque Festival.

In a very real way, Madeline is responsible for the thousands of people who have converged on Vermont over the last decade to find friendship, connection, and creativity. I owe my connection to this community to her—and by extension, so do many of you.

Madeline now needs us. What was meant to be a trip to Idaho to see her daughter, Willow, get married has turned into a medical crisis. Rene's battle with cancer has taken a sudden turn, and she has now entered home hospice care in Idaho. Because she is out-of-state, the financial burden of her care is immense.

If you are able, I hope you will join me in making a financial contribution to the emergency support she and her family need right now. If you aren’t in a position to donate, simply sharing this information with your own network is a massive help.

If you know Madeline, then you know.

Thank you for helping me support the woman who first helped me get 'bitten by the burlesque bug' and in turn, planted the seeds for everything we’ve built here in Vermont."

GoFundMe link is here... https://gofund.me/c9cb795c3