2023 Past Event
Strapped in, belted up and dressed to kill, psycho siren Leah Shelton returns to Darwin with a horror show of pop psychology, guttural physicality and Prozac-laden humour.
“She’s off her trolley. Nuttier than a fruitcake. A couple of kangaroos loose in the top paddock”. Women have long been locked up, medicated, pathologised and silenced by a simple label – ‘crazy’. Batshit is a wildly theatrical, unexpectedly funny and deeply intimate interrogation of female madness. A requiem for Leah’s grandmother Gwen, it draws on personal stories to explore the myths, fantasies and fears that keep us compliant, and the systems that let us down.
Created by the killer team behind Bitch On Heat and Terror Australis, this is the third solo work by Leah Shelton, directed by Olivier award-winning performance artist Ursula Martinez (UK). Highly visual and provocative, this is physical comedy at its boldest and best.
Reviews
‘It ’s moving and thought-provoking visual theatre that’s also terrific fun.’
The Age
Dazzlingly electric.’
Theatre Matters
Credits
Creator/Performer Leah Shelton
Director Ursula Martinez
Story Consultant Christine Shelton
Sound Design Kenneth Lyons
Lighting Design Jason Glenwright
Costume Design Leah Shelton
Set Design Leah Shelton with Freddy Komp
Video Grace Uther (video content) & Freddy Komp (live feed, projection, systems design)
Set & Lighting Construction Freddy Komp & Stephen Rowan
VideoScenic Arting Shaun Caulfield
Production and Stage Manager Freddy Komp
Conceptual Collaborators Lisa Fa'alafi & Daniel Evans
Dramaturgical Consultant Saffron Benner
Choreographic Consultant Kate Harman
Pre-recorded vocals Naomi Price & Hugh Parker
Voiceovers Christine Shelton & Leah Shelton
This project is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.
Developed with the assistance of Metro Arts.
