WHO ARE WE?

POMOC (@polishmigrants) is a grassroots political home for Eastern European migrant women and gender nonconforming people living in the UK to organise together towards dignity, power and justice. We build actionable solidarity between Polish communities and other migrant groups, while creating opportunities for anyone – at any stage of their organising journey – to grow their creative leadership and put it into action. While POMOC’s membership base is Polish women, our work reaches beyond our community, and we look for ways to support other Eastern Europeans and people with experiences of migration.

Rita Suszek (she/they - @@januszthedragking) is a Polish, London-based multi-disciplinary artist and drag king named Janusz, Your Polish Boyfriend; they are a performer, an improv teacher and a workshop facilitator with years of experience. Rita was twice shortlisted for VAULT Five; they were also awarded 1:1 Fund by Jerwood Arts, in collaboration with drag king Valera Beloved.

Olga Macrinici (she/they) is a migrant, queer and disabled theatre artist from Moldova. They trained as a director and playwright in Romania. Olga works at the intersection of theatre and social change, combining live theatre, community projects and writing. They relocated to the UK in 2018, did an MA in Dramaturgy at Birkbeck, discovered the social model of disability and started performing as a drag king, under the name Valera.BeLoved. Currently based in the NW, Olga works interdisciplinary from writing and directing to facilitating disability and inclusion workshops, and performing on the local drag scene.  

Eat Me + Preach (@eatmeclub) is Liverpool's original, biggest and baddest alternative drag dinner cabaret and club night! Born of the desire for a radical and diverse community for queer performers and participants alike, drag queen and producer Auntie Climax birthed EAT ME back in March 2017. Since then EAT ME has grown up real fast and now boasts a growing alumni of talented acts such as CHRISTEENE, Ginny Lemon, HP Loveshaft, Kalypso Bang, Kevin Le Grand, Lasana Shabaz, Midgitte Bardot, The Nightbus, and SHREK 666.

WORKSHOPS AND PERFORMANCE DATES:

The workshop venue is the Liverpool Improvisation Collective studio at the Bluecoat, 8 School Ln, Liverpool, L1 3BX.

The showcase venue is at QUARRY, 17 Love Ln, Liverpool, L3 7DD.

We will exchange experiences and explore physical movement and expression. We will generate ideas and create possibilities. This workshop is devoted to getting to know each other and performing as a group. We want to find out who you are, exchange experiences and build from there. You do not have to come in with ready ideas, but also, we will make space for the ideas you already have. Even if you don’t know what you’d like to do, have a think about what kind of music and performance you like!

Workshop 2: What Do We Like? The Cabaret Warm-Up | Saturday 29th April 2:00pm-5:00pm

The second workshop will continue from the first: we will try out our ideas and play around with props and more music. This workshop will be devoted to genres of cabaret. Are you looking to sing? To dance? To do a character act? Perhaps you’d like to write a poem. What do we like and what can we do? How can we best collaborate together?

Workshop 3: Where Do We Go? The Migrant Storm | Sunday 30th April  2:00pm-5:00pm

This will be when we’re going to make choices about the direction of our work: solo or group, written or improvised, and more. We will be focusing on making our work bigger, better and more joyful; we shall exchange feedback and decide what goes on stage and what needs a little more love. We will be celebrating what we achieved so far and getting ready for more excitement, a.k.a. The Migrant Cabaret!

Workshop 4: Collaboration and Rehearsal | Sunday 7th May 3:00pm-5:00pm

If you choose to perform in our cabaret on the 9th of May, this is the time to meet with advanced performers and have an opportunity to do a full dress run of your piece.

Showcase @ EAT ME: The Migrant Cabaret | 9th May 5:00pm-Late

The Migrant Cabaret will be a radical queer expression of migrants experiences and stories utilising drag and cabaret performance as a part of the programming for Xpresia.

REGISTRATION & LOGISTICS

We particularly welcome applications from people with experiences of migration, Eastern Europeans, Black people and people of colour, women, femmes and those who identify as nonbinary, trans or gender nonconforming.

Please note that due to the limited number of sessions, participants are expected to commit to all workshop dates. We are able to cover local travel expenses on a case by case basis. Please note that you need to be aged 18 or more to take part in the project.

If you cannot make the dates above, but are interested in future workshops and opportunity, then please still fill out the registration form and reach out to us at our project manager's email address: evieseatonarts@gmail.com