A new project to develop a touring production exploring the lives and legacies of some of the most iconic drag pioneers will now include audience engagement opportunities - thanks to new funding.
The Shuff & Byng project, led by Dr Tony Lidington of the University of Exeter and Matthew Linley of Slaget Theatre, has been awarded a grant from the Noel Coward Foundation to develop a special community finale.
The production, which focuses on Douglas Byng and Mrs Shufflewick (Rex Jameson), is due to premiere in 2027 on the 40th anniversary of the former's death. Now, support from the Foundation will help to bridge the gap between professional performance and local participation, enabling drag queens and kings from local communities to partake in the closing musical number.
"We are incredibly honoured to receive this continued support from the Noel Coward Foundation," said Dr Lidington, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Communications, Drama & Film. "I knew Dougie Byng in his final years and have long championed the proud, complex lineage of British male cross-dressing that pre-dates RuPaul's Drag Race by a century. This grant allows us to develop innovative new ways to involve the community in our work and in the show's finale, ensuring the project is as inclusive as it is entertaining."
Dr Lidington says Shuff & Byng will celebrate two "starkly different, yet equally brilliant" pioneers of female impersonation, who, despite their contrasting styles and social worlds, were both friends and colleagues.
Byng was known as 'the king of double entendre' and enjoyed a 70-year career that spanned film, stage, and cabaret. A friend and colleague of Noel Coward, 'Dougie' was banned by the BBC and yet was celebrated as the first female impersonator to appear on the network.
Mrs Shufflewick, the sozzled, working-class charlady created by Rex Jameson (and inspired by his foster mother from Southend), was a fixture of variety TV and radio in the post-War era, and was described by Roy Hudd as a "comic genius".
Dr Lidington, who is the artistic director of Promenade Promotions (Prom-Prom) Limited, and Mr Linley, a freelance producer and theatre-maker, and former Artistic Director & Chief Executive of Unity Theatre, Liverpool, will be unveiling their programme of public events via the project's Substack.
The funding from the Noel Coward Foundation has enabled the team to develop an original song by Musical Director Billie Harbottle to close the show, which will reference a wide-ranging list of inspirational characters of drag, including Dan Leno, Danny la Rue and Lily Savage. The team will run workshops in local communities where the show will tour, inviting drag queens and kings to learn and rehearse the song routine. They will then be able to join the cast on the night of the performance and take part in the finale on stage.
The award builds on earlier funding success for writer and director Dr Lidington, who was confirmed as one of the inaugural recipients of the prestigious Bunnett-Muir Musical Theatre Award from the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A). This enables Dr Lidington to delve into the V&A's archives and conduct research on cabaret, revue, cross-dressing and drag, all of which will then inform the show. As part of the award, Dr Lidington will have the opportunity to present his findings to the V&A in the spring.
