Scotland’s first all trans/GNC/NB* ensemble
Scotland’s first all Trans, Gender Non-Conforming and Non-Binary ensemble includes Sadie Godiva, Bibi June, Adam Kashmiry, Goose Masondo, Saerlaith Robyn McQuaid O’Dwyer, Kirsty Biff Nicolson, Bel Pye and EM Williams.
This talented group was first brought together as part of Queen Jesus’ 10th anniversary festival in 2019, responding to an open call to take part in a new verbatim theatre piece called Untitled 2009, written by trans non-binary writer Nelly Kelly.
Queen Jesus Productions guided members through Phase 1 and 2, which included the original casting call and audition workshop and two short development and rehearsal periods followed by sharings of Untitled 2009 at the Tron in November 2019 and Traverse in February 2020.
Ensemble members come from a broad range of performance backgrounds and range between 20-65 years of age, but all were united in expressing how unique and vital an opportunity this was - to play trans characters written by a trans writer and be supported by an LGBTQI+ team, in an affirming environment.
Taking place during the covid-19 pandemic, from September 2020 to April 2021, Phase 3 involved a bespoke programme of development and training, co-created with the ensemble, writer and director, which included sessions with leading trans artists Shane ShayShay Konno, Rebecca Root and Malik Nashad Sharpe.
Meanwhile writer Nelly has been developing some of the ideas underpinning ‘Untitled 2009’ into a new play, written for the ensemble, which is supported by Playwright’s Studio Scotland’s New Playwright’s Award and Creative Scotland’s Create: Inclusion fund.
In January 2023 the ensemble came together again to undertake development sessions at NTS Rockvilla to assist Nelly Kelly as they further develop their play and we are currently dreaming big for the future of this work. Watch this space for more updates…!
Sadie Godiva
Sadie hails from Coventry, and arrived in Scotland, via Germany, more than six years ago. Now in her seventh decade, her passions, apart from performing, include playing lawn bowls and railway modelling. She is the proud parent of two adult children, who are both totally supportive. Her attraction to theatre started as a nine year old when she witnessed her first Gang Show (at the now demolished Coventry Theatre) and was besotted by the spectacle. It’s been downhill ever since!
Adam Kashmiry
Adam Kashmiry (He/Him) is an EgyWeegie, award-winning performer, drag artist, story-teller and a queer activist. He enjoys physical theatre and movement. ADAM was his professional stage debut (Edinburgh Fringe, 2017) and was recently adapted for screen by BBC Scotland/BBC Four (April 2021). AdamK enjoys playing with and sussing out gender stereotypes. He created 'Stella' as an experimentation and a means of uniting his masculine and feminine energies and observing how they affect his 'transness'. Stella is coming back in short film, Life In The C*ntry (Buzzcut, June 2021). AdamK was featured in the 2020 film, Ghost Light, produced by the NTS and the Edinburgh International Festival; BBC production, The Years That Changed Modern Scotland Episode three 2021; short film Everyman (Feb 2021), and will be featuring in Who I Am Now (2022), both produced by Bombito Productions.
Saerlaith Uaid Ní Dhuibhir
Saerlaith is a theatre and performance maker, facilitator, curator and DJ. She founded the award-winning Trans Live Art Salon (2016-2019), a series of intensive residencies at Live Collision International Festival and of festival sub-programmes and chill-spaces at LCIF, Dublin Fringe Festival, and Quarter Block Party. Her other work includes writing, directing and performing in, Cuomo (2013) and (Not) Belonging (2015) for Dublin Fringe Festival and performance work in Dublin, Glasgow, and Rotterdam. Most recently, she has been working as Project Assistant for Sanctuary Queer Arts’ Young Company, where she is also working on the development of their Mental Health and Wellbeing policies
Bel Pye
Bel graduated from BA Contemporary Performance Practice at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2015. Since then they have been living with several chronic illnesses, which is a full time job in itself! They have also worked with the education team at the Citizens Theatre and had their visual art work exhibited in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle and London.
Photo credit: Natasha Hendrickse-Welsh and Martyn Moffat
Bibi June
Bibi June is a poet and performance maker whose work focusses on queerness, climate justice and post-apocalyptic stories. They run spoken word theatre company In The Works. Their previous collaborative shows include 'A Matter of Time' (2017) and ‘The 900 Club' (2018), the latter of which received 4* and 5* reviews for its debut run at the Edinburgh Fringe. In 2019, they toured 25-minute piece 'Make/Shift' throughout the UK & Ireland. Their second pamphlet ‘Critique of the Criminal Justice System’ was published by Stewed Rhubarb in 2020. They co-write and voice-act for award-winning queer horror podcast ‘Folxlore’.
Goose Masondo
Goose is an Argentina-born, London-raised theatre-maker and performer. Originally trained in musical theatre at Laine Theatre Arts, Goose's work primarily revolves around the process of art-making and creating community in the intersection of identities. He is a recent graduate of MA English Literature and Theatre Studies at the University of Glasgow.
Kirsty Biff Nicolson
Kirsty Biff is a theatre maker/clown/drag king. They have taught drama and made theatre with learning disabled artists at Garvald Edinburgh, including a collaboration with Anatomy, which was also performed at Birds of Paradise Cabaret. They recently returned from a street theatre project in China for Surge Scotland working with local artists to create a street theatre act. They are part of the ensemble of Luke Pell’s In The Ink Dark. They have collaborated with Janice Parker Projects (Private Dancer, Private Party, Glory), Dive Queer Party, Anatomy, Surge, Clown Cabaret, Queer Theory, LOOP Theatre, Antonija Livingstone and Theatre NEMO. Kirsty studied community arts and physical theatre and works with people of all ages.
EM Williams
EM grew up in the Midlands with their Jamaican father and Irish mother. Their studies and training began in Kent, spanned California, and they continue to grow and develop bouncing between Northampton and London. Specialising in physical theatre, aerial circus, and ensemble, their roles have taken them to three continents (so far). They have been an actor and theatremaker for over ten years, working for The National Theatre, RSC, the AIIA Theatre Tokyo, and on the West End.
Production team
Writer - Nelly Kelly
Stage Manager/Access support - Fin Dickins
Producer/Access support - Annabel Cooper
Mentors/Executive Producers - Susan Worsfold and Jo Clifford
Phase 3 Workshop leaders - Shane ShayShay Konno, Rebecca Root, Malik Nashad Sharpe
Director for Phase 1, 2 and 3 - David Wood
Supported by Creative Scotland National Lottery Funding