Wildly theatrical, darkly comic, deeply intimate... dangerously mad.
10–13 Sep
BATSHIT is a wildly theatrical, darkly comic, and deeply intimate reckoning with the myths and misconceptions of female madness. Fresh from an awardwinning run at Edinburgh Fringe, this renegade feminist, guttural, and Prozac-laden dark comedy returns to Brisbane Festival.
BATSHIT was inspired by my grandmother Gwen’s story. She was incarcerated at Heathcote Hospital in Perth in 1963 and given a cocktail of drugs and ECT treatment without her consent. Throughout the process of researching for this show, I uncovered many pages of psychiatric reports from my grandmother’s time at Heathcote. The reports were worse than I might have imagined — full of judgemental, condescending, and gendered language from Doctors and Nurses. They consistently imply that she was detained because she wanted to leave her husband, and then deemed “cured” when she returned compliantly to her husband after treatment.
A requiem for the creator’s grandmother, Gwen, who was incarcerated for seeking independence in 1960s Australia, BATSHIT draws on personal stories, in-depth research, and pop culture to unpack how psychiatry has been shaped by gender bias.
Created by psycho-siren Leah Shelton (AU) and directed by Olivier award-winning Ursula Martinez (UK), this one-woman tour de force tears apart the labels used to control and undermine women through razor-sharp wit, raw storytelling, and unflinching performance.
Things haven’t really changed that much for women (cis, trans and beyond) since the 1960s. Many are still labelled with personality disorders, pathologised and medicated, for being angry about oppression and abuse. Women and girls are routinely duped into believing we are mentally ill for having normal and natural reactions to our experiences. We are twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression, anxiety, panic disorder, phobias, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, eating disorders, and PTSD, and seven times more likely to be diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. So, it’s fair to say it’s a long-standing systemic problem.
This work asks whether we, as a society, are being let down by the medical and psychiatric systems.
I hope BATSHIT will resonate with people who have similar stories to tell and will open up conversations on how we might do things better.
Creator / Performer
Leah Shelton
Director Ursula Martinez
Writers Leah Shelton & Christine Shelton in collaboration with Ursula Martinez
Touring Co-Producer & Agent
Sound Design
Lighting Design
Costume Design
Set Design
Linda Catalano (Quiet RIOT)
Kenneth Lyons
Jason Glenwright
Leah Shelton
Leah Shelton with Freddy Komp
Video Grace Uther (video content) & Freddy Komp (live feed, projection, systems design)
Set & Lighting Construction
Scenic Arting
Production and Stage Manager
Conceptual Collaborators
Dramaturgical Consultant
Choreographic Consultant
Pre-recorded vocals
Voiceovers
Freddy Komp & Stephen Rowan
Shaun Caulfield
Freddy Komp
Lisa Fa’alafi & Daniel Evans
Saffron Benner
Kate Harman
Naomi Price & Hugh Parker
Christine Shelton & Leah Shelton
This project was supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body. Developed with the assistance of Metro Arts & Vulcana.
Artistic Director
Jane Shelton, Naomi Price, Nathan Sibthorpe, Tanya Martin, Chloe Greaves, Ghenoa Gela, Alinta McGrady, Jay Roberts, Helen Clifford, Celia White, Stephen Bradford, Troy Gilliland, Daniel Joseph, Ellie Ngoh, Carley Carran, Jade Wightman, Sam Butterworth; and the brilliant teams at Brisbane Festival, Metro Arts and Darebin Arts Speakeasy who supported the initial creation of BATSHIT
Louise Bezzina
CEO Charlie Cush
Marketing and Communications Director
Director of Partnerships
Program Director
Michael Adams
Fabienne Cooke
Bella Ford
Chief Financial Officer/Company Secretary Claire Hooper
Technical Director
Administration Manager
Tim Pack
Justine Robins
Acknowledging the Brisbane Festival project team and the Brisbane Powerhouse staff and crew who’ve contributed to the making and delivery of this work as part of the 2025 festival.
brisbanefestival.com.au
Brisbane