October 18 & 19, Chelsea Theatre – Part of a 2016 / 2017 UK tour
Gasp… Be amazed… Take aim… It’s a live target!
Nando Messias is back with a new work, Shoot the Sissy – his own disturbingly beautiful freak show, a queer menagerie of carnivalesque contortion and florid fantasy.
How many ways are there to shoot a Sissy? Confronting the everyday danger of death inherent in the queer condition, Messias pulls the audience into the firing line. In response to the shootings in Orlando, it is time to reflect on whether ‘queer lives matter’ too.
Following on from his national tour of acclaimed work The Sissy’s Progress, Messias invites you to witness secret insights into the murky depths of doubt, terror and dreams, bringing compulsive gazes closer to the bold fragility of his trademark body — a Sissy body.
Roll up, don’t be shy…. come Shoot the Sissy!
Nando says of this brand new show: ‘After all my work fighting oppression, I’ve taken the character ‘Sissy’ in a surprising direction. Shoot the Sissy reaches into more profound questions of human frailty and uniqueness. It speaks to everyone.’
Nando Messias’ work straddles performance art, dance and theatre. Informed by queer ideology, he combines striking images with a fierce critique of gender, visibility and violence. He has performed extensively at amongst many other key arts spaces, the V&A, Hayward Gallery, Tate Tanks, Gate Theatre, Toynbee Studios, Roundhouse, Royal Vauxhall Tavern and ICA.. He has worked internationally in France, Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Portugal, Brazil, Chile, the United States and Japan.
Originally from Brazil, Nando went to Drama school graduating with a first-class honours degree in acting. He is classically trained as a dancer and has been practicing ballet since 1997. He moved to London to pursue a master’s degree in performance and went on to do a PhD at the same institution, the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, completing his research in 2011.
World Premiere of Shoot the Sissy:
18 & 19th October at 8pm as part of And What? Festival, Chelsea Theatre, London. Tickets £10, To book: Please go to http://andwhatfest.com/nando-messias-shoot-the-sissy or call Chelsea Theatre on 0207 352 1967.
Tour Dates include Outburst Arts Belfast (November 19), Duckie London (February 11 2017) and Marlborough Theatre Brighton (March 9) amongst others, this year and next.