Leah Shelton
Psycho-siren Leah Shelton creates stylized, ridiculous feminist performance art soaked in cult references and dark humour.

About

“Simply magnificent … don’t think I’ve ever seen an audience so totally gobsmacked.” Seesaw Magazine

BATSHIT TOUR DATES

2025
BRISBANE FESTIVAL
10-13 September 

SOHO THEATRE LONDON
24-27 September

WORTHING THEATRE
30 September

LAKESIDE ARTS NOTTINGHAM
3-4 October

ABERDEEN PERFORMING ARTS
17 October

TRAVERSE THEATRE EDINBURGH
22-25 October

STANFORD LIVE USA
4-7 February 2026

THE CULTCH VANCOUVER CA
11-15 February 2026

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Psycho-siren Leah Shelton creates stylized, guttural, renegade feminist work soaked in cult references and dark humour.

Based in so-called Australia, her work has taken her from the glamour of Las Vegas to the back streets of Kings Cross, from rigorous training in Japan to London’s West End.

With Lisa Fa’alafi, Leah is Co-Director of intersectional theatre disrupters Polytoxic, creating protest party works underpinned by diversity and collaboration. 

As a solo artist, Leah has played on and off West End in London. She has graced many cabaret stages including La Clique, OhLala Zurich, Little Death Club, Vegas Nocturne. Leah’s triptych of solo works interrogating gender and identity have received critical acclaim: TERROR AUSTRALIS received numerous awards and toured Australia and France; ON HEAT, directed by UK Performance Art luminary Ursula Martinez, toured major festivals in Australia and SOHO Theatre London; and her most recent work BATSHIT won the prestigious Scotsman Fringe First Award and the Mental Health Foundation Fringe Award at Edinburgh Fringe 2024.

With Lisa Fa’alafi (of Hot Brown Honey acclaim), Leah is Co-Director of intersectional feminist theatre disruptors Polytoxic. Since 2000, Polytoxic’s work has been presented in traditional huts, indie theatre seasons, dusty big-tops and major festivals around the world, including PS122’s COIL Festival NYC, Harbourfront Centre Canada, WanSmolbag Vanuatu, Sydney Opera House, and most recently premiered their empowering, unapologetic, hot-as-hell cabaret DANGEROUS GOODS.

Leah is currently undertaking a Churchill Fellowship to research cutting edge practices of activism in live performance. 

““A maelstrom of female history and rage … an iconic performance””
— Corr Blimey ★★★★
Leah is a contemporary performance maker, choreographer and chameleon with a passion for the surreal, the subversive, and the idiotic. Originally dance-trained, she has a diverse performance background, including over a decade working in the intense Suzuki Actor Training Method and playing mad and powerful heroines with Frank Theatre. Leah is co-director of the high camp neo-tiki dance theatre company Polytoxic, with whom she has created and toured works ranging from live-art karaoke to watertop projection performance to mongrel Spiegel-style cabaret. As a solo artist, Leah creates physical work that is highly visual, comic and darkly absurd. Leah also works as a Producer of contemporary, cutting edge performance, and she most recently performed the infamous and subversive red hanky striptease in Spiegelworld’s acclaimed variety show, Vegas Nocturne. credits Featuring Leah K Shelton Performer, VEGAS NOCTURNE (produced by Spiegelworld and performed at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas): Hanky Panky - act created by Ursula Martinez || Cloakroom death scenes - by Leah || The Suitcase Lady - by Leah Co-Director & Performer, POLYTOXIC: The Rat Trap || Teuila Postcards || Freddy’s Got Spunk || Trade Winds Performer, FRANK THEATRE: Hamlet Stooged || Doll Seventeen || Rashomon Co-Founder, THE BRIDES OF FRANK: Squalid Gold || White Wedding FREELANCE Performer & Co-Devisor: Don’ts for Dancers – Matthaei & Canham || 12 Untimely Deaths – Leah || Drafting Season – Sarah Mace-Dennis || Dial H for Homicide – Leah with SYC Studios || Silhouette videos by Jaxzyn || Burger Force – Jackie Ryan SOUNDTRACK: I'm A High-Paid Sperm Donor - MESSER CHUPS
 

“Shelton is an absolutely enthralling performer.”

The National Scotland

 
 
 
“Brave, beautiful and furious work … one of Australia’s most courageous female artists.”
— Simply Melbourne
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