This Summer Shut Up & King's popular ’Free Your Inner King’ workshop program is back! Taking you from zero to drag king in a matter of weeks, and covering everything you need to know about drag king artistry from the basics of makeup, body illusion, and movement techniques, to king persona character development, act creation tips and tricks and how to build confidence and stage presence!
Open to people of any gender, 4 consecutive in-person sessions facilitated by several stars of the Scottish drag king scene [more info below] will take place from 2pm - 5pm at wheelchair accessible locations in Edinburgh (Sessions 1 & 2) and Glasgow (Sessions 3 & 4) on the following dates:
Edinburgh [Duncan Place, Leith] - Session 1: Saturday Aug 12th and Session 2: Saturday Aug 26th
Glasgow [The Dream Machine, Central Glasgow] - Session 3: Saturday Sept 9th and Session 4: Saturday Sept 23rd
BSL support available during the in-person sessions thanks to support from Creative Scotland's Open Fund. Click here for a BSL video about the workshops.
This year the program also includes content review and additional learning sessions with extra special guests which take place online [on Zoom] at various times during the weeks between each in-person session. These sessions last 60-90 mins and also cover practical tips for navigating the choppy waters of the drag scene and staying afloat, tried and tested resources and tricks for making memorable acts and music mixes, and tips for making the most out of opportunities such as local drag contests. Participation in the online sessions is optional and ticket holders will receive a recording of any live demos and presentations that take place on Zoom.
Places are strictly limited. Full payment secures your spot.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Session 1 | Drag King 101 | Saturday Aug 12th 2023 2-5pm @ Duncan Place, Leith, Edinburgh
Outcomes:
Gain a thorough understanding about everything you need to know about being a drag king to get you started on your journey, including:
- Drag king culture & history
- Face contouring & highlighting
- Faking the facial hair
- Creating a bare chest illusion
- Body language & movement
- Tips for creating a unique stage persona
Session 2 | Character Development | Saturday Aug 26th 2023 2-5pm @ Duncan Place, Leith, Edinburgh
Outcomes:
Gain the basic knowledge to further develop your inner king. You will learn tools for character development and building characteristics to develop a unique drag persona and sow the seeds for creating an act.
Session 3 | Movement | Saturday Sept 9th 2023 2-5pm @ The Dream Machine, Central Glasgow
Outcomes:
Further development of your drag persona by exploring the use of space and stage with an emphasis on movement for all bodies and abilities. You will learn tools and skills for stage performance, explore a variety of dance styles and genres, and learn some simple, accessible choreography.
Session 4 | Act Development | Saturday Sept 23rd 2023 2-5pm @ The Dream Machine, Central Glasgow
Outcomes:
Further the process to developing compelling and unique acts with practical tips and tricks to help build stage presence and gain the confidence to bring your drag persona to the stage. Creative time will be allotted for working on your act concept with stage time and feedback on your ideas plus information and advice about opportunities beyond the program.
What folx are sayin’ - quotes from previous workshop program participants:
"Empowering! Enriching! Joyful!"
“Inspiring immersion into everything you need to know about becoming a Drag King”
"I don't think I've felt so supported and learned so much in such a short space of time. The course was the perfect introduction to an amazing community and a brilliant art form, and all the teaching was accessible and inspiring. Thank you so much, Shut Up and King!"
“Shut up and King have made my year amazing - one reason being how generously they offer a safe and inclusive space for learning new skills and acquiring new knowledge. It has helped me so much to learn and experience how drag king artistry can work for folx from all walks of life. The whole experience has been so inspiring and just so much fun!”
"What a journey the workshops take you on, I feel full of confidence to try to apply what I've learnt to taking my first steps in drag artistry which feels very exciting! The workshops are a space I felt was full of care and support and couldn't recommend them more!"
"After years of longing to be a drag king but having no idea how to get started, Free Your Inner King gave me the skills and the confidence to take the plunge."
"Such an exceptionally well thought out and inclusive training! A whole lot of fun and a great way to try out something new. It was amazing to be taught by all the top Drag King talent of Scotland. An incredible opportunity, even if performing in Drag is not your aim. I learnt so much about the history and practice of Drag Kings."
About the Kings:
Glasgow's ‘master of metamorphosis’ Dorian T. Fisk is the creator and driving force behind Shut Up & King - a platform for Scottish drag kings everywhere. Known for elaborate looks and high production value performances, Dorian has been featured in The Guardian as one of the UK’s most inspirational drag kings. A multi-award winning drag performer, he has been teaching drag king artistry since 2016 and in 2021 represented Scotland as a finalist in drag's answer to Eurovision. He has supported Drag Race touring queens and produced record-breaking drag king showcases, with notches from the iconic Royal Vauxhall Tavern, The Garrick Theatre in London's West End and Glasgow's historical outdoor venue, Kelvingrove Bandstand and Amphitheatre on his performance belt. More about Dorian at doriantfisk.com
Arguably one of Glasgow’s most creative drag king talents, coming to Scotland by way of Chicago, Mx Arrow Jackson is a charismatic non-binary drag king of Black and Native American heritage with a background in theatre, with training in the Tadashi Suzuki method, clowning through Jacques Lecoq and Shakespearean theatre. They not only lip sync, sing and dance, they are also adept at using unconventional materials in their drag looks and costume creations and shared their artistic talents in a Character Makeup workshop as part of Shut Up & King’s KINGcubator pilot program specialist workshop offerings!
Daddy Delight is an Irish drag king who has been performing in Scotland since 2017. An experienced workshop facilitator and multi-award winning titan of the Edinburgh drag scene, he has a monthly residency with Kabaret Kweer. His drag style straddles masculinities and sapphism with bawdy sex positivity and silliness, inspired by iconic queer and gender non-conforming men, clubkid fashion, and 70s and 80s menwear, his acts are a camp and colourful celebration of queerness. Delight by name, and a delight by nature!
Phil Herrin is Edinburgh’s longest running drag king, the OG from Leith! He’s been gein it yaldi on Scotland's stages, performing and writing his own material for 9 years. The product of lad culture, subculture and spending too much time with his best pal Begbie - Phil is the original cheeky chappy and 'yer all round top banana'. He's well known for his slick raps, dad dancing and comedy songs, including favourites such as 'Choose Leith', 'We didn’t vote for Boris' and 'The 12 days of Philmas'. He has been a guest contributor and facilitator in the Shut Up & King workshop program since 2020 and was one of the workshop facilitators and mentors for the KINGcubator pilot programme.
Glasgow-based Poppa Joint is a trans drag artist and was the UK’s first visibly disabled drag king. A trained actor, singer and experienced host, workshop facilitator and youth worker, in 2021 he started working alongside Dorian in designing and delivering the Shut Up and King ‘Free Your Inner King’ workshops, drawing on his dance qualifications to help choreograph accessible routines and mentoring other drag artists with disabilities. Poppa Joint was also a mentor in the KINGcubator 2022 pilot program and provides Shut Up & King with access consultancy.
Fife's premier drag king Jo Crawford is Scotland’s ‘dancing King’! If you’ve ever seen this Dunfermline-born performer bust a move on stage, you’re left in no doubt that they’re a pro… no stranger to the stage, they started performing aged 4, and spent their youth competing in dance contests, representing Scotland internationally three times by the age of 17, winning European, American and World Championship titles in many different styles of dance. With a decade’s worth of acting training under their belt, they’re a freelance drama and dance teacher by day and by night…well, they slay!