Teasels

Faaaaabulous Cabaret Life Drawing

In a den of vintage Victoriana nestled in London’s picturesque village of Crystal Palace - Cooper’s Yard Studios, you’re a gem - Teasels was birthed to the world, kicking and screaming and dressed in nought but a boa, tassels and a sparkly tiara.

The brainchild of phantasmagorical cabaret sensation Kiki Mellék (aka, Jo Calderwood when not in full-on fem-drag) and art nude and performer Roy Joseph Butler (for whom wearing anything is an occupational hazard), Teasels is an inclusive, exuberant body-positive fusion of figurative drawing and cabaret, with variety performances on stage and a drawers of all levels of ability taking up boards, pencils, pens, pastels, crayons, charcoal and…balloons (yes balloons, and there’s lots of ball throwing, too) in the audience.

Teasels stems from a desire by its originators to celebrate the performative in the figurative arts by putting it unashamedly front and centre, but with an equally large celebration of the craft of cabaret. They also strive to make active participants of their audiences while introducing them (and the performers alike) to new creative pursuits. 

Celebratory. Exuberant. Freeing. Fun.

What? Where? When?

Teasels is cabaret with audience participation, co-created performance art. In a two-hour show, audiences are treated to a drawing experience that brings forth and accentuates the best of cabaret, with all levels of drawing ability welcome and encouraged.

Performers themselves are treated to a step-change in their creative practice, becoming life models for the first time - for most of them - and, in turn, realising a transforming their relationship with the crowd - performance subject becomes art subject.

Teasels is a fully mobile experience - suited for the stage but perfectly adaptable to any space, nook or cranny. We launched the initiative in April 2022 in the Victorian-inspired cinema at Cooper’s Yard Studios, SE London, and now we’re looking for new delivery partners to help is scale up and reach new participants - audiences and performers alike.

If you’re a venue, cabaret performer or training institute or perhaps an individual with a strong interest in exploring the range - the potential! - of cabaret fused with fine-art practice, we’d live to hear from you.