Keep Sleeping, Beauty uses the familiar fairytale to confront a new nightmare reality. Sedated women are everywhere. In fairytales, in art, in bars and nightclubs, in psych wards, in chat rooms, in porn – it seems society loves to see a woman who’s out of it but conveniently, into it at the same time. Psycho-siren Leah Shelton brings her signature theatricality, dark humour and high-camp performance art to a subject that has been keeping her awake at night.

Slicing through the thorny briars of a culture that attempts to tranquilise, restrain and contain women in their sleep, Keep Sleeping, Beauty explores how the fairytale dreams of yesteryear have become the nightmare reality of today.

Olivier Award-winning Director Ursula Martinez joins Shelton, continuing a creative partnership that has delivered world-touring performances.
Photo by Joel Devereux