Workshops - Drag as resistance

Participants move through a bright room during a playful workshop exercise, with chairs along the back wall.

WHAT WE DO

Drag as Resistance is a welcoming, accessible 2-hour drag workshop that takes participants on a journey from reflecting on the challenges we face as refugees and migrants to creating a drag persona inspired by their resilience, imagination and joy. The workshop culminates in a celebratory catwalk, where everyone has the chance to step into their new persona and shine.

Through a series of movement exercises, costume and make-up choices, and a celebratory catwalk, participants create unique drag personas that reflect their experiences, strengths and hopes.

The workshop supports wellbeing, creative expression and community building, offering participants a breathing space to explore identity, build confidence and foster a sense of collective resilience.

Workshop participants gather around a table of clothes and fabrics as they prepare outfits.

HOW WE DO IT

Designed and facilitated by queer refugee and migrant applied theatre practitioners, our workshops combine lived experience with professional facilitation, allowing us to create spaces that are both playful and carefully held.

Both facilitators hold an MA in Applied Theatre from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, where safeguarding, ethical practice and trauma-informed facilitation formed an integral part of our professional training.

Participants line the sides of a room, clapping and celebrating as someone takes the floor.

We have extensive experience of working with refugee, migrant and LGBTQIA+ communities, including through IRIS (Switchboard / Conversations Over Borders), United Queerdom at QUEERCIRCLE, Pushkin House, the London LGBTQ+ Community Centre, and QUEERCAMP at the University of Oxford. Safeguarding policies and references can be shared upon request.