Ramsgate, England – Behind a barber shop on the town’s harbor, the Screaming Alley cabaret company hosts a modest stage called the Alley Bar. On most evenings the space fills with open‑mic nights, workshops and, most recently, a masterclass for women who want to become drag kings.
Trudi Jackson, a 52‑year‑old actor and performance coach who grew up in a South Wales mining town, leads the six‑week program. Each week her students learn how to craft a masculine persona – from costume and makeup to posture and movement – with the goal of performing before a live audience at the end of the course.
Local roots, broader conversation
Jackson’s drag‑king character, Pat Riarchy, is a tongue‑in‑cheek take on a brash, 1970s‑style uncle. Pat’s mullet, leopard‑print G‑string and Union Jack flag are meant to poke fun at outdated notions of masculinity while encouraging participants to examine gender, class and power dynamics.
“It’s cathartic for me,” Jackson says. “It’s my way of playing out what it was like to be born female in a world where toxic masculinity was the norm.” Her students, many of whom work as teachers, painters, carers and even a suicide‑bereavement liaison officer, find the experience a release from daily pressures.
Community response
Audience reactions in Ramsgate have been mixed but largely supportive. One local woman, Vanessa Duarte, laughed that Pat reminded her of her father, while a young man on the beach initially questioned the performer’s gender before rating the act “10 out of 10.” Jackson notes that these moments open dialogue about gender identity in a town that, like much of the Kent coastline, voted strongly for Brexit.
Ramsgate’s socioeconomic landscape includes pockets of deprivation alongside a growing arts community. The presence of drag‑king workshops highlights how cultural initiatives can thrive even in areas where traditionalist politics, such as the hard‑right Reform UK party, hold sway.
Characters and creativity
Students develop a range of personas. Maxine Rowe, 49, created Dr. Eustace Hunt, a 70‑year‑old country‑club doctor who dismisses women’s menopausal concerns. Katie Pope, 32, performs Manny Sphere, a gym‑obsessed podcaster constantly selling “Man Juice.” Janis Royal, 67, portrays Ricky Belissimo, a 1970s glam‑rock rocker inspired by her husband’s wardrobe.
Jackson herself drops the drag persona during instruction, wearing pink shorts and a T‑shirt that reads “Ken” in Barbie‑style font, and encourages participants to “smolder,” “macho,” and “do fragile man.” The final showcase offers a glimpse of a thriving, though still niche, drag‑king community in the UK.
Looking ahead
While the performances are primarily entertainment, they also serve as a forum for discussing gender expectations in a town where political discourse often centers on traditional values. Jackson hopes the classes will continue to provide a space where residents can laugh, learn and engage with ideas that might otherwise be silenced.
Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.
