On Saturday 22nd April we hosted our first drag king workshop at One Space Sheffield. Adam All and Apple Derrieres travelled from London to deliver this special event, and help those attending bring forth their male alter ego’s through discussion, movement and makeup tutorials.
To be honest we really didn’t know what to expect, this being our first workshop event, and the fact that most of the participants had not been to any of our past events! But it was so wonderful to be in a room with women and non binary people really keen to learn about the art of drag, and up for performing in front of others!
The day started with introductions and why people had attended. We weren’t surprised that many had been introduced to drag through RuPaul, but were surprised to learn how many had never seen a drag king perform, either live or online. This made us realise how important putting on an event like THE KINGDOM COME, outside of London is. Adam and Apple started with a short history of drag kings, moved onto character anchors for a drag king, and then how to embody those characters through movement and acting exercises.
After a VERY delicious lunch by Fanfare, a plant – based pop up at Union Street, it was onto make – up and packing and strapping! Adam very generosuly shared the tips that helped transform their face and body into a masculine physique and then it was time to dance to some chosen tunes before the ‘draguation’ ceremony!
Feedback we received from our participants has been overwhelmingly positive, and some of it made us cry (in a good way). Here’s a sample –
‘A great first-time introduction to genderplay in general, and specific character, makeup, and costume tricks. Very knowledgeable hosts’.
‘Dressing up and exploring gender is fun and today made me feel a little less worried’.
‘It was so fun and I loved how friendly and welcoming the space was, it felt totally okay to go over the top’.
This event really reaffirmed why we make Andro and Eve events happen and cemented our resolve to make our events more accessible to everyone. On that note, we want to run a similar event, but we will be seeking funding in order to make pricing more accessible. We believe strongly that artists (especially women / queer people) should be paid for their time, and we want to build on the success of this day to create a sustainable model and an even better event. Lots of our participants said they wanted more opportunities to try out their newly developed characters…. So watch this space!
Thank you to Adam and Apple for sharing their knowledge and skills, and to our participants for being so supportive of one another and willing to get stuck in! Thanks also to One Space and Fanfare so their collaboration. It really helped us make it a special day. If we’ve wet your appetite for some drag king action, our next drag king night, The Kingdom Come #2 is on June 3rd. Tickets still available online or at Beeches of Walkley!
