The House of Deviant is Wales’ first and only learning disabled drag troupe.

Celebrating its 4th Anniversary this year HOUSE OF DEVIANT is a  South Wales-based coproduced project that uses drag performance as a vehicle to explore self-esteem and autonomy with adults with learning disabilities, who can otherwise have difficulties with issues such as social isolation and getting their voices heard. 

Their mission statement spells it all out  It’s about doing things together. Not doing things FOR, but WITH. We share spaces. We grow together. It may sound simple, obvious even, but when people do things for people, it stops them from developing the skills to do it themselves. True inclusion is about making sure people are given opportunities to be included, to grow and learn and develop. We are not just a drag troupe, we are a place where we grow together, we learn, we develop, we reach our potential and we shout about it.

​Our queens are equipped with the resources and skills to access the world of drag performance. They do their own makeup, tell their own jokes, design their own routines, create their own performances. Together we build these skills and provide the spaces to practice them.  The result – fierce, funny, independent queens with more sass than any episode of RPDR!

Even if you are not from Wales (like Dame Shirley Bassey) you can still support the group in several ways.  Although they receive funding from the Arts Council of Wales, their  general work and funding come through the money we generate ourselves through performances and shows. This naturally limits our reach and how many people we can work with. At the moment there is a waiting list of people who want to come and be part of the project. 

​Please check out. https://www.houseofdeviant.com/support  for some of the ways that you can support them 
to reach more people, recruit and train more performers and make a difference!

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Posted by queerguru  at  12:11

Labels:  2024, drag troupe, House of Deviant, learning disabilities, Wales