drag king cabaret – Andro & Eve

An Enchanted Forest edition of The Kingdom Come!

27th November 202427th November 2024 by androandeve

Drag king Pure Gliss sings dressed as a mushroom while onstage using a wheelchair

On 19 October we produced the ninth edition of our drag king cabaret, The Kingdom Come, transforming Crookes Social Club into an enchanted forest for a night of mischief and magic.

This night showcases some of the UK’s most exciting drag acts, and they’re all drag kings, although those attending this evening’s event could be mistaken that the stage had been taken over by all sorts of creatures and beings!

_{Ding Frisby, The Kingdom Come (2024). Credit – Nelly Naylor}

Yorkshire-based Ding Frisby took to the stage as a mushroom, with a very witty act finding the connections between the world of mycelium and polyamory, while Pure Gliss’ first act was also mushroom inspired, with a beautiful costume. Pure Gliss wowed us with their siren song with their second act too.

_{Manly Mannington, The Kingdom Come (2024). Credit – Nelly Naylor}

Our host Manly Mannington started the evening dressed as a giant blue flower, and ended up as a cyborg robot character, whose mesmerising movements had all eyes glued on him. Jamie Fuxx served up his smooth singing and seduction, with two acts that had their fair share of surprises.

Drag king Jamie Fuxx in gold waistcast and matching cap and black trousers sings on the mic — _{Jamie Fuxx at The Kingdom Come (2024). Credit – Nelly Naylor}

Dandy Darling brought his high octane acts, bursting forth on the stage as both a worm and praying mantis. All we could say was ‘wow!’

_{Dandy Darling, The Kingdom Come (2024). Credit – Nelly Naylor}

We knew we could rely on Sigi Moonlight to supply us with some seriously surreal and fairly sexual acts, and he appeared both as a tin man and Adam, who of course you’d meet down in the forest. He was said to have a bit of bother with a snake who attended with one of the audience members, but nothing of enough concern to warrant the casting of any spells.

_{Sigi Moonlight, The Kingdom Come (2024). Credit – Nelly Naylor}

Good job too, as many in our community had arrived dressed as magical beings, and who knows what they were keeping under their mushroom hats. It was great to see so many embracing the theme!

Our Community Information stall was back (read more about that here in this blog) with added crafts, so some took the opportunity to model some creepy crawlies from the modelling clay we provided. As usual the vegan cake from Little Town Pantry was gone before the first act was done!

_{Audience costumes at The Kingdom Come (2024). Credit – Nelly Naylor}

Thanks to all who took part in the raffle, helping us raise vital funds for our Pay it Forward ticket fund, enabling us to continue to provide discounted and free tickets to those who need them at future events. A huge thanks also to the Andro & Eve team, tech team and volunteer crew who helped everything run smoothly on the night.

This event was a fundraiser for Andro & Eve, and we were relieved to meet our fundraising target of £1000 – which we will use as match funding to support future programmes of creative activity for our community in South Yorkshire.

The Kingdom Come will return in 2025, so to be first to find out the date of the next event, and get access to the ticket pre sale, make sure you’re subscribed to our newsletter. It also contains lots of useful resources for support for LGBTQ+ folks and a roundup of queer friendly events in South Yorkshire. Ideal!

For now enjoy these extra snaps from The Kingdom Come, Enchanted Forest edition by Nelly Naylor.

_{Pure Gliss, The Kingdom Come (2024). Credit – Nelly Naylor}

_{The Kingdom Come (2024). Credit – Nelly Naylor}

A whale of a time at The Kingdom Come!

24th May 202414th May 2024 by androandeve

5 drag kings including CYRO, Oedipussi Rex, Captain Cock, Pip Dream and Beau Jangles along with Finn of Andro and Eve pose for a photo on a stage lit by colourful lights

Last month we produced the eighth edition of The Kingdom Come, our drag king cabaret, and it was a Salty Seas themed night of queer joy!

We were back at Crookes Social Club for a night of nautical nonsense featuring some of the UK’s most exciting drag acts. We transformed the main hall into a sea themed wonderland bringing together over 300 people to celebrate some incredible drag king talent.

Beau Jangles, a slim brown drag king wearing navy dinner jacket and white trousers sings on a mic — _{Host Beau Jangles brought old school crooner charm to the night. Credit – Nelly Naylor (2024)}

We were blown away by the talents of the artists performing and need to say a huge thank you for them sharing their acts – CYRO, Oedipussi Rex, Captain Cock, Pip Dream and of course our captain for the night – Beau Jangles! From Beau’s smooth singing, to Captain Cock’s hearty shanties, Pip Dream’s obsession with a buoy, CYRO’s powerful (and very witty) performances to Oedipussi Rex’s total drag nonsense as giant sandcastle, angler fish and rowdy viking, everyone was thoroughly entertained.

Oedipussi dressed as giant yellow sandcastle with turrets for a headpiece. They are lipsyncing onstage — _{Oedipussi Rex gave us pure drama dressed as a sandcastle. Credit – Nelly Naylor (2024)}

Our tech team and volunteer crew helped keep everything ship shape. Our thanks to them, the artists and you, our wonderful community for helping create a space where so many people feel free to be themselves. Your kindness and generosity is so so appreciated. As one audience member said;

‘It’s a space where queer people are welcomed to be their most authentic selves’.
Audience member

The vegan cake from Little Town Pantry went down a treat and raffle excitement kept everyone on their toes! Thanks to everyone who helped us raise vital funds for our Pay it Forward ticket fund enabling us to continue to provide discounted and free tickets to those who need them at future events.

Crowd shot of smiling people — _{Credit – Nelly Naylor (2024)}

We also introduced a Community Information Stall. Through this we shared information about local organisations fighting for a more just world and ways you can support them. We feel it is important to build solidarity in our region between those of us fighting against different systems of oppression.

Two white queer people smile wearing Andro and Eve Tees as they sell tasty cake — _{Some of the brilliant Andro and Eve volunteer crew selling vegan cake! Credit – Nelly Naylor (2024)}

Whilst climate change is set to become an even bigger cause of displacement and migration, particularly in the Global South, the UK government continues to create a hostile environment for migrants and refugees. The Rwanda bill is yet another example of this. We must not forget that many people also face hostile treatment in their countries of origin because of their gender identity or sexuality.

There are many local organisations supporting refugees and those seeking asylum, and we would highlight the work of ASSIST Sheffield, City of Sanctuary Sheffield and our friends from Lesbian Asylum Support Sheffield as groups to support.

At future events, our intention is to raise awareness of other local campaigns and groups supporting and advocating for migrants and refugees along with environmental sustainability. If you are connected to any such local groups then please feel free to get in touch.

CYRO, a Black drag king with painted face and flowers in their hair and red gloves — _{CYRO wowed the crowd with their powerful performances. Credit – Nelly Naylor}

We’ll be announcing news of future events very soon (make sure you’ve signed up to our newsletter to be first to hear) but in the meantime, enjoy these wonderful photos taken by Nelly Naylor of The Kingdom Come Salty Seas edition!

Three white queer people dressed as pirates pose excitedly — _{Ahoy there hearty seafayrers! Credit – Nelly Naylor (2024)}

Captain Cock drag king wearing red tartan skirt and tricorn hat — _{Drag king Captain Cock gave a swashbuckling performance. Credit – Nelly Naylor (2024)}

Drag King Oedipussi dressed as a viking, charges up the stage steps with 3 people in his cardboard boat — _{Oedipussi Rex got everyone on board with his drag barbarian antics! Literally.}

A white person and Black person smile as they pose for a portrait — _{Credit – Nelly Naylor (2024)}

_{Drag king Pip Dream shared his love for his very own buoy! Credit – Nelly Naylor}

Drag king Oedipussi onstage in cardboard boat dressed as a viking with crowd in front of them — _{Oedipussi the drag barbarian. Credit – Nelly Naylor (2024)}

Group of six friends pose in costumes — _{Squad goals at The Kingdom Come. Credit – Nelly Naylor (2024)}

Three white queer people in pirate themed costumes — Credit – Nelly Naylor 2024

Drag Kings are part of our Queer Future

23rd November 202223rd November 2022 by androandeve

Two slim, white drag kings dressed like cowboys with cowboy hats and shirts, stand back to back on a stage. They are lip syncing and lit by blue, red and purple lighting.

Last month our drag king cabaret, The Kingdom Come made its long overdue return to Sheffield. Suffice to say, we were very excited. The queer future is here, and drag kings are definitely part of it!

Taking over another new venue for us, Crookes Social Club, we transformed this community venue into a silvery, spacey fantasy ready for our stellar line up to take to the stage.

Drag king Romeo De La Cruz is dancing onstage at Crookes Social Club. The stage is adorned with gold glitter bunting that says ‘The Kingdom Come’ behind which is the traditional Crookes Working Mens Club engraved lettering in gold. Romeo is a Black non binary person with short shaved hair. They wear a black shirt, sliver chains and patterned black trousers and have a serious look on their face. — _{Romeo De La Cruz. Credit: Dawn Kilner}

Our hosts for the evening was the ‘godfather of the modern UK drag king scene’ Adam All, and his partner, Apple Derrieres. With Sigi Moonlight, Mark Anthony, Romeo De La Cruz and Brokeback Yorkshire, our sold out audience was treated to thrills and spills all over.

*_{Adam All and Apple Derrieres hosting The Kingdom Come #6. Credit Dawn Kilner}*

With Adam and Apple blasting out the power pop anthems, Mark Anthony treating us to his seductive boylesque moves, Brokeback Yorkshire being the campest and sexiest gay cowboys we’ve seen, Romeo De La Cruz powerfully commanding the stage with their choreography and Sigi Moonlight taking us on a sublime yet silly seaside journey!

This was also our first live show where we were able to offer audio description, beautifully delivered by Dot, and our BSL interpreter, Max smashed out the BSL with panache galore.

*_{Sigi Moonlight as Captain Birdseye. Credit: Dawn Kilner}*

A huge thanks to Crookes Social Club for the warm welcome, to all our artists and crew and brilliant volunteers for helping things run smoothly. We also want to say massive thanks to our community, who on the night, through fervent raffle action, managed to raise £246 for our Pay it Forward Ticket fund. This fund helps us provide free and discounted tickets to those who need them at future events.

_{Our friendly crew and volunteers were serving up cake and smiles!}

The Kingdom Come: Queer Future Edition was our last event of 2022, but we’ll be back in 2023 with more queer joy and delight. Just make sure you’ve signed up to our newsletter to be first to hear about upcoming events and opportunities.

Enjoy the pictures, shot by Dawn Kilner!

*_{Death to heteronormativity in the queer future!}*

What is a drag king cabaret?!

6th March 202211th March 2020 by androandeve

It has come to our attention that, SHOCK HORROR, some folk don’t KNOW what a drag king cabaret is? Hold our redbush tea while we gently explain the lowdown on the glorious and rare beast that is a cabaret night dedicated solely to DRAG KINGS.

Drag king romeo de la cruz onstage dancing — Romeo De La Cruz performs at The Kingdom Come 5, May 2019

Firstly, some of you, (gasp) may not know what a drag king is, but we think you *may* have heard of drag queens. So, a drag king, instead of performing femininity like most queens, will perform a version of masculinity. This can include use of makeup, facial hair, body transformation, and just like a queen, a wholly formed persona to amuse an audience. But ‘blokes are not as exciting to look at as the trappings of a woman’ we hear some dissenters mouth.. HOLD UP! Have you seen Spikey Van Dykey? Adam All? Christian Adore? Oedipussi? The latter three kings have all performed at our very own drag king cabaret, The Kingdom Come. No one with working eyesight could accuse these kings of not dazzling the heck out of audiences with their OTT looks.

Adam All and partner Aple Derrieres perform at The Kingdom Come, June 2017.

Starting to get an understanding? Okay. Now. Just don’t say ‘so its a woman dressed as a man right?’ This is because many kings identify as non binary, trans-masculine or as men. That said, some kings do go about daily life as women, just please ask before assuming this. Misgendering folk is never a good look and we really don’t want our community feeling less than damn brilliant. Got it? Champion.

So what does a drag king do? Glad you asked. They usually perform a 5 – 10 minute act in which they may dance, strut, pose, sing, lipsync or clown but always with the intention of entertaining an audience. Many kings use their performances to deconstruct and play with the idea of masculinity, using props, humour and audience interaction to give audiences a rollicking thrill ride of fun, while potentially also blowing your mind with a different perspective. Even if that perspective is that you didn’t know the macarena could be performed *that* fast, (cheers Oedipussi), or you now have a taste for a dick in a box (thanks Louis Von Dini)!

Chiyo onstage at The Kingdom Come, with tattoos and piercings on display — Scene star Chiyo performs at The Kingdom Come, May 2019. Abbeydale Picture House.

And a drag king cabaret such as The Kingdom Come? Well we put 5 of these kings on a massive stage, in the historic surroundings of old 1920’s cinema, Abbeydale Picture House in Sheffield, and get them to perform for 200 – 350 people. They usually perform 2 different acts each with an interval in between. Its a room full of queer joy, community and the feeling that for 3 hours, we can come together and just celebrate. We also transform the space with decorations, a dedicated lighting designer, stage crew, and a team of amazing volunteers are on hand to support our community throughout (and sell some of the best vegan cake in Sheffield).

We do this because often, women and trans performers are marginalised, because its the turn of the kings to get the recognition they deserve, with scene stalwarts like Boi Box having helped develop the careers of so many wonderful kings, and because Northern cities like Sheffield deserve some of the finest entertainment the UK has to offer! (And like so many cities, are lacking in dedicated LGBTQ+ venues). We want to put Sheffield on the map for queer arts and culture.

350 audience members watch Shesus and the Sisters onstage in Sheffield. — Shesus and the Sisters hosting The Kingdom Come at Abbeydale Picture House, May 2019.

Now you may have a better understanding of what The Kingdom Come is, we hope you can join us for a future edition. Because of the scale of these shows (the largest drag king show outside of London), we only do them once or twice a year. Our next is on the 21st March and you can get a ticket here, with sliding scale prices so all can enjoy a night of queer joy!

We hope to greet you there!

So What Have We Been up To?

8th April 20209th February 2020 by androandeve

Happy LGBT+ History Month! Its been very busy the last 6 months at Andro & Eve, so we thought it was high time we gave you all an update on what’s been going on!

In November we hosted our first Drag King Workshop Weekend in collaboration with award winning drag king Louis Cyfer, and founder of the Women’s Comedy Network, Natalie Diddams at our partner venue, Theatre Deli Sheffield. (Sidenote: Go support their fundraiser to support this brilliant indie arts space!)

13 participants from across the North of England and the Midlands joined us to learn skills in makeup, character development, gender as performance and creating comedic material, with an informal sharing at the end of the weekend. Feedback from participants was very positive, and we gained a lot of insight into what worked, and where we could push this talent development further. Comments from participants included;

‘I liked the thought, love and organisation that went into the weekend, it was wonderful. I felt very safe and cared for’.

‘I learnt it’s okay to take time and to take up space’.

Jason Andrew treated us to some vogue dance at Cast.

A few days after our Drag King Weekender we headed over to Cast in Doncaster for our first Donny event, A Reyt Northern edition of queer cabaret, A Reyt Queer Do. Louis Cyfer was back for hosting duties with performances by House of Ghetto’s Jason Andrew, and up and coming talents, Ding Frisby, Spent Reznor and Donny Lad. An audience of 60 people turned out and we were thrilled with the support, and to meet so many new faces. There was a lot of laughter in the room that night, and the 6 weeks of outreach work in the run up to the event clearly paid off. Thanks to Cast for their support in developing our audience! Doncaster folk commented

‘Thanks for an amazing night, it made hump day bright and beautiful’.

We rounded off November with a big queer party and cabaret back at Theatre Deli with A Reyt Queer Do 5. This ‘Shine Like a Diamond’ edition was hosted by non – binary rapper Bad Lay Dee with performances by poet Maz Hedgehog, theatre maker Victoria Firth and drag kings Sveto Slava and Dickhead Dave Debonair. DJ Chardine Taylor – Stone from punk band Big Joanie ensured everyone got a chance to raise the roof once the performances were done.

In January we collaborated with DocFest to produce a cosy film screening at Yellow Arch. We chose to screen the brilliant documentary SILVANA, about Swedish rapper Silvana Imam, after seeing this film at Doc/Fest in 2018. The film follows Imam’s rise to fame, her experience as an immigrant in Sweden and new romance with Swedish lesbian pop star, Beatrice Eli. Cake and cosy vibes were enjoyed by all, and we think it’s is fair to say most of the audience fell hard for this lesbian power duo!

Silvana Imam and Beatrice Eli giving face

In between running all these events we successfully recruited a new Assistant Producer, Emma, who brings with her a wealth of marketing and event experience. We’ve also had some fab new volunteers join the team and been recruiting a new board of directors (more news on that coming soon) and planning our events for 2020.

Currently, Andro & Eve is featured in a new exhibition to celebrate LGBT+ History Month at Sheffield’s Central Library. It’s great to see this sort of visibility and recognition, especially at a time when mainstream media seems intent on sowing division between different communities.

We’re also gearing up for our biggest drag king cabaret to date, The Kingdom Come on 21st March at Abbeydale Picture House. It’s going to be a special Under the Sea Edition! Hosted by star on the rise Christian Adore and featuring a line up of ridiculously hot and talented drag kings, its going to be a night to remember.

Christian Adore is headed to Sheffield. Hold onto your hats!

We’re forever grateful for those in our community who have gone before, making space for the LGBT+ community to come together, and are proud to be continuing this work. But we know only too well how precarious the creation of queer friendly spaces are. Want to support your LGBT+ community now and help us continue this work? Then nab a ticket and come feel the mer love at The Kingdom Come! See you then!

A special thanks to all those who continue to support our work, giving their time, money or expertise to help us grow, and Arts Council England for funding much of the work of the last 6 months.

KW x

Volunteer With Us!

16th June 202323rd October 2019 by androandeve

Andro and Eve is all about bringing our community together, and one of the ways we do that is by working with a wonderful team of volunteers who give their time to help make our events happen. We’re looking to expand our volunteer team and would love to hear from you if you’ve got some time and energy to help out.

We’re looking for folks who can be at events, interact with members of the public, are happy handling money and love a spot of decorating. (If you’ve been to one of our events, you’ll know our approach to decor is more is more!) Some of our volunteers also help out with stage management and sound. We’re also keen to hear from people who would be up for distributing our posters and flyers, this is an important part of helping us reach new people.

Typically, we ask volunteers wanting to help with events to work with us on evenings and weekends, and for shifts of 4 – 8 hours. We always provide food, breaks and plenty of support for our team, and as a volunteer, of course you’ll get to see behind the Andro and Eve scenes. We also organise socials for our team and offer event training throughout the year.

Here’s what some of our volunteers have said about working with us…

‘After feeling like a lost queer in Sheffield during my time as a student, volunteering for Andro & Eve was one of the best things I could have done for myself, whilst also contributing to the local community. Meeting younger and older LGBTQ+ people who were all so vibrant and positive opened me up to a whole new world and I feel so much more connected to my queer identity. If you feel like you are in a similar state of mind to how I was, or simply want to have fun and contribute your time to some of the best queer events this planet has seen – volunteer for Andro and Eve! Without them and the caring people who dedicate their time there, I’d still be looking for my queer identity’.

‘Being part of Andro and Eve is like having a fabulous queer family. I’ve volunteered now for a number of their events and have loved every minute, we always have such a laugh and I love that its supporting and developing a strong queer presence in the Steel City’….. Laura.

‘Getting involved with Andro and Eve has been a great decision. There’s something really powerful about coming together and putting on these fabulous events to celebrate aspects of our queer culture. The team are so friendly, and its been a pleasure to meet so many new friends from those involved’.

We’d love to hear from folks who are available on the 13th and 30th November for our events in Sheffield and Doncaster, and for dates after this too. If the above sounds good to you, and you have some availability then drop us a line using the contact form here. Thanks!

The Kingdom Come #4

31st January 201931st December 2018 by androandeve

On December 1st 2018, we brought our drag king cabaret, The Kingdom Come back to Walkley Community Centre, Sheffield. The night was a sell out, with audience members rocking some amazing costumes and outfits. Its never too early for tinsel right?

Host Don One was charm personified, his Brummie accent and smooth songs winning everyone round. Stellar performances came from Dick Slick, Loui Von Dini, Mo Torboat and Chiyo, who were warmly enveloped in the love from our audience.

As usual the cake sold faster than you can say hotcakes, and the Andro & Eve volunteers did a brilliant job of helping the night run smoothly. We want to say a huge thanks to them for giving their time to help at this night and the others we’ve produced in 2018.

A massive thank you to Walkley Community Centre for lending us their venue again, to all the local businesses who donated towards our raffle, and our audience for contributing to our Pay it Forward Ticket fund. This fund allows us to provide cheaper and free tickets to those who need them. We raised £245 from this event through raffle and online contributions alone! Thank you! Here’s to more super events in 2019. Have you got your ticket to A Reyt Queer Do: Electric Dreams edition on February 16th yet?!

All photos credited to Ndrika Anyika. See more of the night via our Facebook album!

_V3A0213 copy.jpg — *Pirates came ashore for the evening…!*

Mo 1 — Mo Torboat. Spoken Word Artist. Musician. All round good egg..

Dick + Audience.jpg — *Dick Slick serenaded the audience…*

Celebrating Two Years

26th May 202113th May 2018 by natalie@rainbowwebservices.co.uk

Today marks two years since the first Andro & Eve event at Cafe #9 with a screening of But I’m a Cheerleader. Last night we celebrated that anniversary in the best possible way, surrounded by the community we care so much about, at a special edition of A Reyt Queer Do.

When starting out, we had no idea we’d be producing events on the scale we are now, and we’re so pleased to be making space in Sheffield to celebrate queer culture. In the time since we founded Andro & Eve, the world can sometimes seems more hostile. Spaces where those often marginalised from the ‘mainstream’ can come together to celebrate and feel free, somehow seem more vital, and in a weird way, more radical. Our events are about creating a physical space where many different people can come together and enjoy culture that speaks to them. Welcoming new and familiar faces to the events gives us LIFE!

We want to say a huge thank YOU to everyone who has supported our work over the last two years. Whether that be through buying a ticket, pin badge, telling a mate about us, sharing one of our tweets, or contributing to our accessible ticket fund, you’ve helped this endeavour grow.

Special thanks go to our volunteers, without them we would not be where we are today. And one in particular who was our only helper for the first year of the venture! It has been brilliant welcoming new volunteers and building a team who help us create quality events that audiences love.

_V3A4680 copy — *Some of the Andro & Eve volunteer team with co-founders Rhiannon and Katherine*

We also want to say thank you to the artists who have travelled to Sheffield to perform and brought such joy to our audiences. A special mention to Adam All and Apple Derrieres, creators of Boi Box in London, who supported us in creating our drag king cabaret – The Kingdom Come. And we want to mention the venues and organisations we’ve worked with who have given us space for free, or seed funding to cover event costs. These are Walkley Community Centre, Theatre Deli Sheffield, Broomhall Community Centre and She Fest. Thank you for believing in what we do and supporting our work.

We’ll be taking a break from running events over the summer, but we have plenty plans and much behind the scenes work going on, so watch this space for announcements about our future coming soon! You can also sign up to our mailing list to be the first to hear news from Andro and Eve first.. Just sayin…!

An Enchanted Forest edition of The Kingdom Come!

A whale of a time at The Kingdom Come!

What is a drag king cabaret?!

So What Have We Been up To?

The Kingdom Come #4

Celebrating Two Years

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