In episode 42 of Tea with Kings and Queens I was absolutely thrilled to chat with multi-talented actress Kat Pearce. Among many things Kat is an actor with the Royal Shakespeare Company, was much loved teacher Amy Spratt in Waterloo Road, has appeared in Coronation Street, Vera, Rules of the Game, Three Girls and films My Cousin Rachel, England is Mine and loads more.&nbsp;&nbsp;I was lucky enough to see Kat play Puck in the RSC’s production of Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Barbican in London earlier this year where I adored her take on Puck, a super physical, rock n’ roll take on the iconic character. So in today’s chat we talk a lot about Puck, as well as keeping Shakespeare relevant and diverse, stereotypes in casting, mainstream TV acting and getting your own film project off the ground. This was such a gorgeous, honest chat about being a full-time creative in 2025 and I was so grateful for my time with Kat. Enjoy!&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/katpearceofficial/?hl=en-gb" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kat Pearce on Instagram</a>&nbsp;Thanks to Joe Bailey for the intro/outro music, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sammurphytattoo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sam Murphy</a> for the cover art and you for listening!Podcast by Carly Deering.

Punk Rock Puck: Kat Pearce

In the 41st episode of Tea with Kings and Queens I was lucky enough to sit down with Tom McConnell, Liverpool-based songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and mastermind behind the surrealist pop project Novelty Island. Tom first caught my attention with the incredible DIY visuals he makes for his music videos and we chat today quite a bit about his processes around claymation, animation and papier-mâché. We also talk about his latest EP, ‘Taped Over’, the place for nostalgia in song writing, video &amp; cassette culture plus the hazards of going to a print shop and printing off hundreds of copies of your own face. Enjoy! <a href="https://www.novelty-island.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Novelty Island Website</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@NoveltyIsland" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Novelty Island Youtube Channel</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_noveltyisland/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Novelty Island on Instagram</a> Thanks to Joe Bailey for the intro/outro music, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sammurphyart/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sam Murphy</a> for the cover art and you for listening!Podcast by Carly Deering.

Surreal Pop Puppet Master: Novelty Island

In the 40th episode of Tea with Kings and Queens (gasp!) I was delighted to spend some time getting to know the gender bending public menace Don Binary, a London based host and performer who has been causing chaos on stages since January of this year. As a new drag artist but a seasoned performer as a writer, actor and singer, we had a wonderful chat about how Don is thoughtfully exploring his drag voice and expression and ultimately, finding joy. This chat is a real celebration of all that is weird, subversive and rebellious about drag. Enjoy!<a href="https://www.instagram.com/donbinarydrag/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Don on Instagram</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/brightonkingnight/?next=%2F%2F" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Brighton King Night</a>Thanks to Joe Bailey for the intro/outro music, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sammurphyart/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sam Murphy</a> for the cover art and you for listening!Podcast by Carly Deering.

Gender Bending Bi-con: Don Binary

This episode I was delighted to talk to ‘The Cheeks of the Peaks’ herself: burlesque performer Temptress la Tease. I was lucky enough to see Temptress live at back in February this year at Glorified; the plus size cabaret show which we celebrate at length in our chat. We also discuss audience interaction, getting star struck, how Temptress puts together a routine around her fibromyalgia, her love of the band Diversity, our mutual adoration of Rik Mayall and lots more. This episode is also guest starring Temptress’ lovely dog, Cyril. Enjoy!&nbsp; <a href="https://instagram.com/temptress_la_tease?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Temptress on Instagram </a> <a href="Glorified Cabaret Instagram" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Glorified Cabaret Instagram</a> Thanks to Joe Bailey for the intro/outro music, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sammurphyart/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sam Murphy</a> for the cover art and you for listening!Podcast by Carly Deering.

The Cheeks of the Peaks: Temptress la Tease

We’re still basking in the glow of Eurovision here in Liverpool, so today is a special Eurovision episode with Liverpool-based Franz Genau, a German Drag King, international cabaret comedian, and clown daddy of the Liverpool alternative scene. Franz is a host and producer, including Quiz with the Queers (a camp blend of pub quiz and Queer ridiculousness) and SPEW, the scratch night for young Queer performers. Every first Wednesday he also fills the airways with his own radio show DRAG DINGS, together with his partner in crime, Dan Chan.Franz performed all through the Eurovision celebrations here in the city and like me is a bit of a super fan. So as well as re-living all things Eurovision that have consumed the city over the last two weeks (including Sophie Ellis-Bextor playing a set in John Lewis), we chat about the German and UK cabaret scene, Franz’s very particular brand of drag: subverting masculine stereotypes with effeminate performances, and we also discuss the importance of scratch nights to encourage a new, diverse range of performers gain confidence. Enjoy! Thanks to Joe Bailey for the intro/outro music, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sammurphyart/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sam Murphy</a> for the cover art and you for listening!Podcast by Carly Deering. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/queerartisan/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Franz (AKA Severus) on Instagram</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/spewtheshow/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SPEW Scratch Nights in Liverpool</a><a href="https://www.skiddle.com/whats-on-beta/Liverpool/Arts-Bar-Baltic/Quiz-with-the-Queers-Euro-Quiz-ion/36325765/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Quiz with the Queers</a><a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/melodicdistraction/drag-dings-with-franz-genau-dan-chan-april-23/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Drag Dings Radio Show</a>

Eurovision Special with Chaos Demon Franz Genau

In this extra special episode of the podcast, Migrated Kingdom of Drag take over! I was honoured to speak to members of this project which seeks to make cabaret and drag performance more accessible to migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, especially people of colour, women, femmes and non-binary, trans and gender nonconforming people. It started as a collaboration between <a href="https://www.pomoc.org.uk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Polish Migrants Organise for Change</a> (PMOC) and artist and drag king Rita Suszek. Thank you to these incredible artists for their time and for such an amazing chat about the transformative power of drag: <ul><li>Drahoslava Máchová (they/she) | Drag name: Dragoslav |&nbsp;@coldxe</li><li>Riyoh (he/him) | Drag name: Rooble |&nbsp;@dakkac</li><li>Olga Macrinici (she/they) | Drag name: Valera.BeLoved |&nbsp;@valera.be.loved</li><li>Marzena Zukowska (they/them) | Drag name: Ivan Decisive |&nbsp;@marz.zukowska</li><li>Rita Suszek (they/she) | Drag name: Janusz |&nbsp;@januszthedragking</li><li> </li></ul>Want to take part or see these amazing artists perform? Register for this year's workshops in Liverpool <a href="https://forms.gle/19qLsf2iF4spHGfWA" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HERE</a> by Friday, 21 April 2023Participants from Migrated Kingdom of Drag may get the chance to perform on 9 May 2023 at The Migrant Cabaret, a life-changing, not-to-be-missed radical cabaret showcasing migrant talent, influences, voices and DJs through a queer lens. The show is brought to you by Eat Me &amp; POMOC and is part of Xpresia Festival during Eurovision. Join us at QUARRY on 9 May (8pm til late). Reserve your FREE tickets for The Migrant Cabaret <a href="https://www.fatsoma.com/e/ttunuudi/xpresia-festival-2023-eat-me-preach-pomoc-more" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>This project is in part supported by Culture Liverpool and National Heritage Lottery Fund.

Migrated Kingdom of Drag: Take Over!

In this episode, I catch up with a true gem of the cabaret world: variety artist, juggler, comedian, the extraordinary gentleman, Mat Ricardo.&nbsp;A key figure in the international cabaret scene, Mat started out as a street performer in Covent garden, where he honed his craft, blending astonishing feats, with quick wit and sharp suits.Mat is multi-award-winning, taking his act all over the world, where he’s had had residencies in legendary venues, been on numerous tv shows and recently had a role in a Hollywood film. When we chatted had just finished touring his new show which he’d taken to the Edinburgh fringe.Alongside performing, Mat is a writer, speaker and photographer, and I really enjoyed his YouTube channel during lockdown and his podcast, Imagination and Junk, all about the creative process.It was an honour to spend time talking to Mat as I’ve been such a fan for many years, and this episode of full of his incredible stories, wit, humour. Enjoy!&nbsp; Thanks to Joe Bailey for the intro/outro music, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sammurphyart/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sam Murphy</a> for the cover art and you for listening! <a href="https://www.matricardo.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mat’s Website</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/matricardo/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mat on Instagram</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@MatRicardo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mat’s YouTube</a><a href="https://www.imaginationandjunk.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Imagination &amp; Junk Podcast</a>

The Extraordinary Gentleman: Mat Ricardo

<h3>In today’s episode am talking to a titan of the influencer world, UK based J-fashion &amp; lifestyle creator, Addy Harajuku. With a following of over 100,000 Instagram followers and more than half a million on Tiktok, Addy’s content has earned her the title of one of the top UK based content creators within her field. She has modelled for key J-fashion brands and most recently has collaborated with koi footwear on her own range.</h3><h3>Addy’s personal fashion is based in the Yamikawaii and Menhera subcultures. For those unfamiliar with J-fashion, Yamikawaii is a Japanese aesthetic that has an emphasis on dark themes and colors and Menhera fashion uses medical imagery like pills, plasters, and syringes. Its considered a ‘vent art’ style, regarded as form of art therapy that helps the wearer. In addition, vent art is now seen an important way to challenge social stigmas and encourage conversations around mental health.</h3><h3>Addy’s content is a brilliant combination of Yamikawaii fashion and style, alongside informative and interesting videos about key cultural issues, including art theft, Asian fishing, cringe culture, AI art trends, and various issues around mental health and neurodiversity.</h3><h3>Addy’s trademark honest, open and uncompromising style has made her one of my favourite creators, and in today’s chat we talk about her explosion online and all that comes with it, her journey in fashion and how it links to her own self-expression and mental health.&nbsp;</h3><h3>Just a quick warning: There are swears in out chat plus discussion of self-harm and suicide, so listener discretion advised.</h3><h3>&nbsp;Enjoy the episode!</h3><h3>Thanks to Joe Bailey for the intro/outro music, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sammurphyart/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sam Murphy</a> for the cover art and you for listening!</h3><h3>Podcast by Carly Deering.</h3><h3><a href="https://www.instagram.com/addyharajuku/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Addy on Instragram</a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.instagram.com/addyharajuku/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Addy on TikTok</a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.koifootwear.com/pages/search-results-page?q=kawaii" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Addy’s collab with Koi Footwear</a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/wxda5q/what-is-menhera-fashion" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Addy’s interview in Vice Magazine on Menhera fashion opening up discussions on mental health</a></h3>

Yami Kawaii Princess: Addy Harajuku

Today’s guest is the incredible Alabama Whirley: pole dancer, burlesque performer and producer of the North West’s first plus size cabaret show Glorified. Well known for her horror and gore themed routines, Alabama has also fast become a key voice for the plus size performer community, and in our chat today we talk about creating safe spaces and get very critical of the BBC…enjoy!&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="https://www.instagram.com/alabamawhirley_/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alabama on Instagram</a> <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/glorified-to-me-love-me-xo-tickets-445345720037" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Glorified Cabaret Show</a> <a href="https://liverpoolhorrorclub.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Liverpool Horror Club</a> <a href="https://www.polyesterzine.com/thedollhouse/making-space-for-glorifying-obesity" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alabama’s article in Polyester Zine ‘Making Space for Glorifying Obesity’</a> Thanks to Joe Bailey for the music, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sammurphyart/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sam Murphy</a> for the cover art and you for listening!

Horror. Heels. Fat Positivity: Alabama Whirley

Fabulous chats with the most exciting he, she’s and theys from the world of drag, cabaret, theatre &amp; performance.&nbsp; teawithkingsandqueens@gmail.com

Tea with Kings and Queens

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