Joan is the first drag king show of its kind to come to Malta. Performed by drag king champion Lucy Jane Parkinson, it is a show that sees history's greatest gender-warrior dragging up as the men she defies, and already tickets are selling fast. 

Now, to accompany the performances, Milk Presents (UK) and Drachma LGBTI (Malta) are organising three dynamic workshops, all of which will be held at St James Cavalier. They form part of the Spazju Kreattiv programme and are supported by Arts Council Malta - Creative Communities.    

The first, titled Queer Theory in Performance, will question how society defines "queer". "How can you queer a space, an object or a body?" asks Joan's director Lucy J. Skilbeck. "So, using devising techniques, theory and discussion, this practical workshop will explore queerness and performance." It is a workshop that primarily targets creatives interested in LGBTQ+ communities, and it will be held on Thursday, 24 May at 7pm.

The second workshop hopes to attract a wider audience and is open to anyone above the age of 14. Titled Build Your Own Drag King, it will discover how drag performances can be used to explore history, faith and identity, and will be led by Skilbeck and Drag King Lucy Jane Parkinson aka LoUis CYfer. "This playful workshop leads you through the basics of creating your very own male persona - complete with make-up, costume and (optional) swagger...," the director says. This workshop will be held on Saturday, 26 May at 10am.

Finally, the third workshop explores what a post-gender utopia might look like. "Imagine a world free from pinks and blues," Skilbeck goes on to say. "In this workshop - entitled Post-Gender - we explore exactly that, and invite fellow gender anarchists to explore gender and identity, asking big questions about the world and answering them through theatre and performance. It is a workshop that targets trans, non-binary, gender non-conforming and queer communities and will be held on Saturday, 26 May at 2.30pm."

All workshops are free, although advanced booking is required. To secure your place at any of the workshops visit www.kreattivita.org/event/joan-workshops/

Meanwhile, tickets for Joan are also available from www.kreattivita.org, for its shows on 25-27 May at 8pm. The show will be staged as part of the Spazju Kreattiv programme and is supported by Arts Council Malta - Creative Communities.