EVER since actor, writer and performer Darren Gooding first stepped on to the stage, there has always been a little hint of a suggestion that it might be a case of art imitating life.

First there was Manly Truelove, the outrageous journalist/theatre critic, and then Leopold Thorn, the magical teller of tall tales, but now he is unveiling a new character and it may just be she's the closest one to the real Darren yet.

And yes I did say 'she'.

That's because Darren is about to go on a theatrical journey not only exploring the themes of gender reversal, cross-dressing and changing personal identity but what that means to him personally.

"I'm definitely not coming out of the closet," he smiles, "essentially because I've never been in it! Most people have known for years that although I’m a heterosexual man I’m also a part time cross-dresser; off stage as well as on. I've always enjoyed dressing up, but it's genuinely never been a big issue for me; it’s never caused me any angst, or put any of my personal relationships under pressure; in that respect I’ve been phenomenally lucky.

"I suppose the difference with this new project is that while I've never concealed that part of my life, I haven't promoted it either. In most day-to-day situations it’s simply not relevant; so my femme side gets spoken about less frequently. In short; it’s an important aspect of me, but one which I’ve never been terribly militant about proclaiming ."

Darren's exploration of his own cross-dressing came about after he approached both the Colchester and Norwich Arts Centres about an idea he had for a new play.

"They liked the idea for the show," he explains, "which was based upon a true tale concerning an 18th Century French diplomat and spy, the Chevalier d’Eon, who famously dressed up as a woman. However, the Arts Centres’ Directors were both more interested in what the story meant to me personally, as someone who also periodically assumes a feminine persona.

"They thought the fact I was quite ‘gender fluid’ was an interesting starting point for a more personal piece of work and so I started to think about how I might explore that for performance."

Born in 1972, Darren went to the Stanway School and then the Sixth Form College, before going to Middlesex to study performing arts.

After returning back home he met up with fellow ex-Sixth Form college student Damien Bell and formed the Predictable Pig Company.

Together they produced a number of shows, including the first Manly at the Colchester Arts Centre in 2001, but in 2004 they decided to call it a day and Darren set off on his own with Manly and Truelove Tours.

There were a number of Manly shows and even a movie before Darren started exploring his new love for magic and dark stories with a new character, Leopold Thorn.

Now we have Alice d'Luminaire, actress, magician, cabaret hostess and part time male to female retro girl.

"I had been performing Leopold plays for four years and I was looking for something else," Darren tells me, "In 2013 I began doing a lot more cabaret and compering for events like ‘Tea and Sympathy’ where I was appearing more as Alice than I was as Darren!

"When I decided the show should be about exploring my own experiences of cross-dressing as well as others I started thinking about positive role models. We now have Eddie Izzard and Grayson Perry, but they are still just about the only ones that easily come to mind.

"People are becoming more aware of transgender issues, but I think some still find it difficult to define and there remains a lot of misunderstanding surrounding the area."

With funding from the Arts Council, and in true Darren style, rather than just have one performance, he's decided to run a series of events leading up to the main show, which will take place in May next year.

The first takes place at the Colchester Arts Centre on Sunday, October 2, which Darren/Alice is calling Turnabout Tea, an opportunity for transgender, transvestite, cross-dressers, and pretty much anyone with an open mind, to pop along for music, tea and oodles of cake.

"Cross-dressing, or retro attire is not required to get in," Darren explains, "People should dress as they feel comfortable, but all I ask is they bring a sense of toleration and liberation.

"All will take place in a supportive and silly environment. It's a chance to meet up, dress-up, express oneself and generally be fabulous.

"Gender is often painted as a very fixed commodity," he continues, "male or female, boy or girl, but for some people it’s often a bit more complicated. Hopefully these events will help all of us understand it a bit more."

Following Turnabout Tea, the following month will see Alice d’Lumiere’s Frocked-up Sewing Circle when Alice will be giving top tips on how to make your own outfits.

"Alice d’Lumiere makes all her own dresses, at six foot two she has to," Darren smiles. "So whether your chromosomes make it difficult to find a cute little retro number that fits, or you’re just someone who doesn’t know her twill tape from her bias binding, or even a proficient sewer looking for some additional tailoring tricks, Alice will endeavour to help."

And rounding off the year will be Alice d’Lumiere’s Tree Topper Cabaret, which Darren describes as a festive get together with a transgender theme complete with mince pies, mulled wine before a role-reversing cabaret extravaganza.

"Expect Drag Kings, special guest turns and Crimbo burlesque from the tallest Christmas Fairy ever to fall off a Norway Spruce," he adds.

"As with everything I do, there's a whole load of fun to be had, but this is also a chance to have an open discussion about complex issues that are sometimes brushed under the carpet. The idea is to open the door through events like an informal tea party, or a sewing workshop, and get people talking.

"From these workshops I'm hoping to tap into that wealth of information and true-life experiences, which will help contextualize my own history and help me formulate the actual show in May.

"Of all the projects and characters I've created before, this one is perhaps the most exciting, and maybe that's because I suspect it's going to be the most personal."

Alice d’Lumiere’s Turnabout Tea

Colchester Arts Centre,

Church Street, Colchester.

October 2. 11am to 2pm.

Free entry but tickets must be booked in advance by calling 01206 500900.

www.colchesterartscentre.com

Alice d’Lumiere’s Frocked-up Sewing Circle takes place on November 27 and Alice d’Lumiere’s Tree Topper Cabaret is on December 23, both at the Colchester Arts Centre.