When Graham became Rachael - Learning the fine art of crossdressing for the stage

Rachael's Cafe is a play that follows the story of a muscular, motorbike riding, family man named Eric living on the Bible Belt in Indiana, USA who is convinced he should have been born a woman and eventually makes the transition to living socially as a female. Seemingly not the most mainstream of topics and, frankly, not one I was entirely sure I had the knowledge or sensitivity to handle.

Once I decided to put the play on at the Edinburgh Festival 2011 I went actor scouting hoping, somewhat naively, that I I would find someone who had dealt with such subject matter before. Although I saw plenty of actors who were capable of portraying camp men or drag queens, this is the exact antithesis of what Rachael is. Rather than being a man who combines parodied aspects of femininity with the unique qualities of being a man, Rachael is someone who tries to embody what it is to be a woman. Her desire is to be mistaken for a female and not a man in drag. It took Rachael years of trial and error to perfect her ladylike gait and gestures and the thought of doing that from scratch with someone who didn't have the same desire for femininity as Rachael naturally was daunting. However, since I couldn't find a transexual actor (and since Rachael is entirely untouched in terms of cosmetic and surgical procedures or hormone tablets it would be very difficult to find someone at her exact point of gender transition) I had no choice but to start from the very beginning. 

I cast Graham Elwell, a wonderful actor, who had never worn heels, tights, or dresses in his life. As he walked out of his splendid audition we said, "Just to check? You'll be fine about waxing your legs and all that right?" The look of surprise and horror on his face made us realise our work was certainly going to be cut out. Look to the left. You might agree.

A few rehearsals in we started in off in heels to help him adapt to their restrictions and to give him guidelines around which to develop the natural sway of a woman's walk. To be honest we spent an awful lot of time telling him to stop moaning about the pain in his feet because now at least he 'knew how us women felt'. Feel sorry for him? Nah! 

A lovely lady named Caroline Tyler (herself transgender) kindly responded to our request for someone who knew what they were doing to help us do Graham's make up. Once again we needed to make sure we stayed well away from Drag Queen make-up and went for a more natural look. This had to be combined with an appropriate amount and style of base to ensure we covered stubble and created a smooth skin surface. This was kindly provided free of charge by the wonderful people at Extreme Make-Up. 

There was some tension regarding make-up application initially. 

And some outright fighting when the wig went on,

But eventually he sat still. 

I can't say he was thrilled with his first attempt at a dress and stockings.

I would include a picture of when Graham managed to burn himself with Nair but frankly it's too painful a memory to revisit. Suffice to say this time we dealt with a combination of electrical shaving, gentle use of Nair and eyebrow tweezing. 

So, without further ado allow me introduce Rachael Jones (as played by Graham Elwell). I'm pretty happy with our results:

'Rachael's Cafe': First review from the Dublin Gay Theatre Festival

Rachael’s Café is an enchanting piece of theatre that is perfect for an Ireland that is moving towards recognising the rights of transgendered people. Lydia Foy, Louise Hannon and others who have pursued the vindication of their rights through the Courts could have done with this powerful testimony of the life of a transgendered male to female to accelerate their cause.

The story is much more than transgendered based however. Lucy Danser’s script gets under the skin of inclusivity with real skill. Rachel not only creates a space for her own identity to thrive but one for others too. In this everyone is at home in Rachel’s Café, beautifully housed in the Cobalt Café in Dublin.

Danser herself was a customer of the Café and met Eric Winniger on whose life she has based the play. She does so with great understanding and communication. The performance of award winning Graham Elwell (A Dog Called Redemption) as Rachel/Eric is warm, beautifully timed, gentle and powerful. The presence of Rachel reassures and welcomes and has a visible impact on the audience – a great accolade for the skill of the performer. In script and delivery this team from Little Fly Theatre Company are in full harmony. Everything fits in a world that insists otherwise. The anecdotes of the diverse customer base,  generously recounted by Rachel, remind us of the challenges of being oneself. She never evokes pity – she always radiates a greater understanding of humankind that evades her, in her right to live her own life. There is no saccharin when you have a wife and family to provide for and the blending of these two stories is powerful and realistic.

Eric still exists, he has to economically and socially. But Rachel is welcome and the unfolding of this biographical story is a blend of skill, honesty and humour that would neatly fit on top of an excellent cappuccino. This production and play could go down the radical campaigning route. It is far more skilful and valuable than that – no one is left doubting Rachel’s existence, her intellect, her capacity to love and live at the same time and her mind boggling tolerance of the unfairness of  living the identity imposed on her at birth. This wonderful play is a tribute to the collaboration and respect of Danser, Elwell and Rachel and together it is a glorious celebration of identity and inclusion. Lovely, endearing and truthful storytelling infuse the life story of a woman more real than most people you could hope to encounter both on and off the stage. The Cobalt Café is known for its own unique welcome, but it has never been better served than when Rachel takes the helm. Joyous.