SLAP presents a pay-what-you-can contemporary performance festival taking place across 5 venues in the City of York
Flaunting a bold assortment of dance, theatre, live art and cabaret performances from a cohort of distinguished local, national and international artists. SLAP performances will occur in 5 locations across the city and will journey through themes of queerness, zombies, millennials and their predecessors, masculinity, connection and more.
We believe income should not be a barrier to accessing performance and therefore SLAP are making all events as part of the festival either free or pay-what-you-can.
SLAP is supported using public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England with further support from York Theatre Royal, York St John University and York Dance Space.
Festival Reviews
Slap festival review – ecstasy, rage and intimate confessions - The Guardian
Review: Fat Girl Singing at York Theatre Royal - Exeunt
Unknown Magazine
SLAP collaborated with York based Unknown Magazine working with younger writers to review a range of performances.
Review: SLAP Festival: Looks Like God
Review: SLAP Festival: Softcore Boundaries
Review: SLAP Festival: The Mesmerist
SLAP Festival: The Faun Project
SLAP Festival: The Ballad of Isosceles
The Events
SLAP Scratch
A scratch night testing a variety of ideas for performance from the MA Theatre and Performance practitioners of York St John University.
Spoken Word Workshop
Open to anyone, this workshop explored playing with writing, words and performance. Led by poet Henry Raby.
Fat Girl Singing - Emma Geraghty
A funny, uplifting and compelling solo show for those who have ever felt that their body is up for debate.
SOFTCORE BOUNDARIES - Antonio Branco and Riccardo T.
An immersive Live Art performance exploring the politics of the queer body.
Pink Suits Workshop
A resistance to gender roles in partner dance. Participants developed a non-gendered improvisational language that informed how we dance with one another.
The Faun Project - Beth Cassani & Joseph Mercier
The FAUN Project - a brand new contemporary dance performance. The choreographic process is a conversation between millennials and their predecessors.
LOOKS LIKE GOD - Samir Kennedy
A visceral performance installation, that appropriates the zombie body in all of its abject and grotesque glory.
The Mesmerist - Northern Rascals
A family friendly contemporary dance work that explores the importance of friendship.
Gods Own Country (Albion) - Ben Mills
Live performance work for one audience member at a time, that explores masculine intimacy and insecurity.
The Ballad of Isosceles - Ali Matthews
An intimate performance for two audience members, a Lynchian love story to voyeurism.
Unseen Beings - Tamar and Jo
An outdoor performance work that will happen at different locations around the city centre.
Theseus Beefcake - Panic Lab
Dance theatre work that journeys into the dark labyrinth of masculinity. An unforgettable duet exploring masculine excess, fantasy, friendship and competition.
DRYHUMP - Live Art Bistro
Queer Cabaret. Dryhump is the perfect blend of amusement, carnage and lots of dancing. Showcasing a range of performance acts, music and games.