Shakespeare's Globe Reveals Company For IF IT PLEASE YOU

Shakespeare’s Globe has announced the company of If It Please You, a night of glam, high camp and drag inspired by Shakespeare. The evening will be co-curated and hosted by Isabel Adomakoh Young (founding member of Pecs Drag Kings) and Nina Bowers, currently playing in As You Like It at Shakespeare’s Globe. If It Please You will feature performances by guest artists Séayoncé, Beau Jangles and Loose Willis, as well as fellow As You Like It company members Jessica Murrain, Tessa Parr, Hannah Ringham, and Macy-Jacob Seelochan. 

Company biographies are as follows:

Co-curators and co-hosts: 

Isabel Adomakoh Young. Isabel is a founding member of Pecs Drag Kings, an all-female/non-binary theatre and cabaret company. Performances with Pecs include The Glory, Soho Theatre, Latitude Festival, The Royal Academy of Art and The Yard. Work as an actor, writer and voice artist includes Hamlet (Bristol Old Vic) and Modest (Middle Child + Milk Presents, The Kiln), as well as Netflix hit Heartstopper and Apple TV's Foundation Season 2. Isabel won "Best Female Actor" at the 2021 Black British Theatre Awards, and recently completed a season as Guest Artistic Director at King’s Head Theatre.

Nina Bowers. Nina started her drag career in 2021 as part of the Soho Theatre’s Cabaret and Drag Lab, and has since performed at venues including Camden People’s Theatre and Battersea Arts Centre. Work as an actor includes Henry IV, part 1 & 2, Henry V, Henry VI and Richard III (Shakespeare’s Globe); Girl On An Altar (Kiln Theatre; Abbey Theatre, Dublin); Dear Elizabeth, Twilight: Los Angeles 1993 (The Gate Theatre), The Wolves (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Crave (The Pit, Barbican). Nina trained at Central School of Speech and Drama in partnership with Complicite and Simon McBurney.

 

Guest artists:

Beau Jangles. Beau blends drag, comedy, live singing, and old-school charm and has performed across London (at venues including The Clapham Grand, The Southbank Centre, The Barbican, The Phoenix Theatre on the West End, and The Underbelly Festival. He was a Man Up 2019 finalist, who (out of drag) won Tutu’s Soul Search 2021 and has performed at Glastonbury.

Loose Willis. Loose Willis is a London-based drag and cabaret performer and Creative Associate of the Offie award-winning drag king troupe Pecs. Recent clients include Soho Theatre, Southbank Centre, Picturehouse Cinemas, Charleston Trust, Manchester Pride and the UK release of Dungeons and Dragons. He is the host of Fist Club, a queer professional wrestling night and a regular performer for Slaystation, a video game themed drag cabaret. 

Séayoncé. Dan Wye is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist and one of the most prominent comedy cabaret performers in the country. Work as Séayoncé includes the Edinburgh Fringe, Glastonbury festival, Soho Theatre, Underbelly festival, the Royal Opera House, the Adelaide and Melbourne Fringe Festival, Sydney World Pride and The Palace in Poland. Dan won Vault Festival After Dark Award and was nominated for the QX Cabaret Award for Best Comedy Act (2019). 

As You Like It company members:

Jess Murrain. Jess is co-founder of ‘Theatre with Legs’, a queer, performance-making company based in London and Bradford. Poetry prizes include Ledbury Poetry Prize (2021) and the Outspoken Prize for Poetry (2023). Published works include ‘One Woman-Horse Show’ (2022).  Theatre credits include The Wife of Willesden (Kiln Theatre/US Tour); The Secretaries (Young Vic); Macbeth (Shakespeare’s Globe); A Christmas Carol (Royal Shakespeare Company); Peter Pan (Troubadour White City Theatre/National Theatre); King Lear (West End); DIGS (Theatre with Legs); Skate Hard, Turn Left (Battersea Arts Centre); The Long Trick (Wardrobe Theatre/Southwest Tour); Messiah (Bristol Old Vic). Television and film credits include: The Sandman (Netflix), Soulmates (Amazon Prime) and Just a Weekend.

Tessa Parr. Drag performances include Transform Festival, Curious Festival, Bonnie and The Bonnette's (Newcastle) The Party Somewhere Else (Nottingham Playhouse), The Stand, Northern Charter. Other theatre includes The Secretaries (Young Vic), Cracked Nuts: Camper than Christmas (Glitterbomb Dancers, tour), There Are No Beginnings (Leeds Playhouse), Hamlet/ Europe/ Road/ Romeo and Juliet (Leeds Playhouse), Birth (Royal Exchange), Frogman (Traverse), Soaking of Vera Shrimp (Live Theatre), Get Santa (Northern Stage), Alice in Bed (Tender Buttons Production). TV includes Alice & Jack (Channel 4), Ladhood, Parades End, Casualty 1909 (BBC). Tessa is proud collaborator with Leeds LGBTQ+ Contemporary Dance Troupe Glitterbomb Dancers.

Hannah Ringham. Hannah is co-founder of award-winning theatre collective SHUNT; shows and projects include including: The Boy Who Climbed Out Of His Face, Tropicana (with The National Theatre), Dance Bear Dance and The SHUNT Lounge community arts platform project. Awards for SHUNT work include The Peter Brook Empty Space Award, The Time Out Live Award and The Total Theatre Award. Other theatre credits include All’s Well That Ends Well (Shakespeare’s Globe), Zoombird (Coventry City of Culture), The Mysteries (Manchester Royal Exchange), The Letters Project, The Unknown Island (The Gate), Islands (Bush Theatre), Cadaver Exquis (Kassy’s – European Tour), England (with Tim Crouch; touring to New York, The Melbourne Arts and The Hong Kong Festivals, among others). Radio credits include Ropewalk House and Daphne and Apollo (BBC Radio 4). Other theatre work includes The Untethered Joke (DISRUPT Festival, CPT), Hannah Ringham’s Free Show (bring money) (British Council Showcase), I Want Love (Birmingham Rep), The Present (Unicorn Theatre) and Wedding (Shoreditch Town Hall) with Glen Neath. Hannah is also a recipient of the Arts in Mind Award from Kings College London for DIE OR RUN (created with Glen Neath).

Macy-Jacob Seelochan. This is Macy-Jacob’s drag debut. Theatre credits include Galatea (Brighton Festival); Groove (Shoreditch Town Hall); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Nottingham Playhouse); Don’t Smoke in Bed (Vaults Festival); Nevergreen (Arcola Theatre); Don’t Touch Me (Leicester Curve); and Dear Elizabeth (Gate Theatre). Screen credits include Shadow & Bone (Netflix); Plaggy Bag (British Film Institute & Opt8); Mundane Living, A Casting Room (self-produced). Writing credits include Jacob Wants His Grandad (Nottingham Playhouse, The Pleasance and Theatre Deli). MJ was also The Nottingham Playhouse’s Associate Artist for 2022. 

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