Midgitte Bardot will present Shooting From Below at the Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room this April, following a sold-out work-in-progress showing at the venue in 2024.
Running from 9 to 11 April, the hour-long show blends musical theatre, live art, movement and drag, and is written and performed by artist Tamm Reynolds under their drag alter-ego, Midgitte Bardot.
The production examines centuries of performance history imposed on people with dwarfism, interrogating power, spectacle and who is truly being looked down upon within cultural institutions.
Bardot explores what happens “when a dwarf star is gaslit to the point of combustion”, combining subversion with sharp social commentary and irreverent humour.
Reflecting on the work, Midgitte Bardot said: “Not all people without dwarfism are under the presumption that people with dwarfism are there for entertainment as pets, toys, fetishes, dream sequences, musical numbers… just most”.
Co-written with Nicol Parkinson, who also performs the music, the show questions ideas of violence, rebellion and what the world might look like if designed and ruled by Midgittes.
The creative team includes director Izzy Rabey, producer Cassie Catchpole, set designer Maisie Frater, movement director Annie Edwards and lighting designer Marty Langthorne.
Shooting From Below carries content notes for descriptions of violence, ableist rhetoric, bad language and nudity, with the use of haze, and is recommended for ages 16 plus.
All performances are presented as Relaxed Performances, allowing audience members to move freely in and out of the space, with a chill-out area and noise-cancelling headphones available.
The production is supported as an Unlimited UK Partner Award 2025 commission with Southbank Centre, funded by Arts Council England.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
