Leah Shelton's BATSH*T Comes to Arts Centre Melbourne

Psycho siren Leah Shelton’s one woman show BATSH*T, a wildly theatrical, unexpectedly funny and deeply intimate story of female madness will make its Arts Centre Melbourne debut from 28 May – 1 June 2025 at the Fairfax Studio. The sophisticated and rebellious work created by Leah Shelton (AU) and directed by Olivier award-winning performance artist Ursula Martinez (UK), is a requiem for Leah’s grandmother Gwen, who was incarcerated for seeking independence in 1960s Australia.

Drawing on personal stories, meticulous research, and Prozac-laden humour, BATSH*T deconstructs the ways in which difficult women are locked up, medicalised and silenced by the simple label – crazy. Through innovative staging and fearless performance, Shelton returns to the stage with a dedication for anyone who has ever been called difficult, hormonal, hysterical or batsh*t.

Shelton said BATSHI*T is a requiem for her grandmother Gwen, who was incarcerated at Perth’s Heathcote Hospital in 1963 and given a cocktail of drugs and ECT treatment without her consent.

“The psychiatric reports consistently imply that she was detained because she wanted to leave her husband - and then deemed “cured” when she returned compliantly back to her husband after treatment,’’ Shelton said.

“Things haven’t really changed that much for women since the 1960s. Many women are still labelled with personality disorders, pathologised and medicated, for being angry about oppression and abuse. I hope BATSH*T  will resonate with people who have similar stories to tell and will open up conversations on how we might do things better.”

BATSH*T has won several awards including the prestigious Scotsman Fringe First Award 2024 and the Mental Health Foundation Edinburgh Fringe Award 2024 as well as Matilda Awards for Best Costume Design, Best Video Design, Actor in a Leading Role and Best Independent Production.

Leah Shelton creates stylised, guttural, renegade feminist work soaked in cult references and dark humour. She has graced many cabaret stages including La Clique, OhLala Zurich, Little Death Club and Vegas Nocturne. Her triptych of solo works interrogating gender and identity have received critical acclaim. Terror Australis received numerous awards and toured Australia and France and On Heat (also directed by Martinez), toured major festivals in Australia and Soho Theatre London. BATSH*T is her most recent work. Together with Lisa Fa’alafi (of Hot Brown Honey acclaim), Leah is Co-Director of intersectional theatre disrupters Polytoxic, creating protest party works underpinned by diversity and collaboration.

Ursula Martinez is a London based performance maker who began her solo career in the mid-90’s performing on the London cabaret scene where she created her first theatre show, A Family Outing in 1998. Recent shows include Wild Bore, an international collaboration with Adrienne Truscott (US) and Zoë Coombs Marr (Australia) commissioned by Melbourne’s Malthouse, and A Family Outing - 20 Years On, commissioned by the Barbican and Perth Festival 2019, where Martinez was the artist-in-residence. Martinez is an original cast member of the multi award-winning contemporary circus phenomena La Clique and La Soirée , and a long-term collaborator with performance provocateurs ‘Duckie,’ with whom she co-created the Olivier Award-winning show C’est Duckie.