Split Britches: Last Gasp at Contact

Split Britches: Last Gasp at Contact Theatre, Manchester, 30 November–1 December 2022

The legendary duo Split Britches return to the physical theatre space at Contact with Last Gasp, a wry performative reflection on the turbulent last couple of years.

Witty and poetic with a touch of irony.

Peggy Shaw and Lois Weaver first set out to present Last Gasp in 2020; a live performance that would interrogate demise: the demise of ageing bodies, civil conversation and a sustainable planet. However, when the pandemic arrived – ironies were not lost – the duo locked down and continued to develop the show, which resulted in the development of a digital performance Last Gasp WFH.

The duo use spoken word and movement as a call and response to urgent global predicaments.

Now, almost two years later, Shaw and Weaver bring their “recalibrated” live performance of the show to Manchester. Returning to a physical performance space, the duo use spoken word and movement as a call and response to urgent global predicaments; probing what it means to be together in a theatre and to share performance in the aftermath of a global crisis. Witty and poetic with a touch of irony, Shaw and Weaver consider their personal experiences along with wider reflections.

What it means to be together in a theatre and to share performance in the aftermath of a crisis.

Needless to say, we’re huge fans of Split Britches’ work. Founded in 1980 by Peggy Shaw, Lois Weaver and Deb Margolin, they are one of the US’s most revered experimental theatre companies and have played a huge role in bringing distinctly postmodern lesbian feminism to the stage. They are also recognized for their engagement with older people, and their performances and workshops exploring (and subverting narratives around) age and ageing.