Up Your Ass

Why I shot Andy Warhol and other chit-chat
Russel: “The two-sex system must be right, because it has been there for ages”
Bongi: “So has disease”

Nona Demey Gallagher & Lieselot Siddiki adapt Up Your Ass, Valerie Solanas' infamous 1965 comedy. The text has had a controversial status in the feminist (queer) community for years, but is now seeing the European theatre light for the first time.

New York, the Sixties. Main character Bongi Perez – a substitute for Solanas herself – is a crude hustler and sex worker. She hangs out on the streets with quite a few eccentric characters, where she fills her days with vulgar discourses, clapping and wooing female passers-by. When she meets Ginger and Russel – a daddy's girl and a male narcissist – a chain of absurd (anti-)intellectual discussions about the state of society immediately ensues. Bongi, Ginger and Russel shamelessly spit their beliefs at each other – resulting in unthinkable and grotesque situations.

Valerie Solanas is best known today for her attack on Andy Warhol, but her literary legacy includes important radical-feminist works, such as SCUM Manifesto and Up Your Ass. After Andy Warhol refused to produce Up Your Ass, Solanas tried to shoot him. Nona and Lieselot got in close contact with Solanas' last living relative and were the first and only ones to get permission to perform Up Your Ass.

Performers Sophia Bauer, Bavo Buys, Lucie Plasschaert and Lucas Van Der Vegt fulminate Solanas' words from the 1960s to a rhythm that, at times, is quite similar to today's.

Trigger warnings: this performance contains explicit content.

In English - with Dutch subtitles
Duration 90 min.

press

Valerie Solanas has fought for her voice all her life

Interview in De Standaard - Charlotte De Somviele, 09-11-23

Valerie Solanas questions everything with plenty of raw humour and does not think in boxes. That's what makes her work so refreshing

Interview in De Tijd - Nina Dillen, 09-11-23

This 'Up Your Ass' shows the society so like a fever dream rushing past itself

Pzazz - Ans Van Gasse, 14-11-23

It's a really good piece, sharp, humorous. So we were sold almost immediately

Interview bij Klara, 14-11-23

This is not a superficial comedy, but a lived-in critique where every word has a purpose and hits it again and again

Etcetera - Paula Rodríguez Sardiñas, 14-11-23

Horny, violent, grand theatre

De Morgen - Evelyne Coussens, 20-11-23

At a scorching pace, young, driven actors move through 1960's New York

Het Nieuwsblad - Sander Luyten, 20-11-23

credits

by Nona Demey Gallagher & Lieselot Siddiki with Sophia Bauer, Bavo Buys, Lucie Plasschaert & Lucas Van Der Vegt direction Nona Demey Gallagher scenography Eva Demulder & Lieselot Siddiki text Valerie Solanas text adaptation Nona Demey Gallagher translation Benjamin De Roover music Bart Demey & Tania Gallagher (Nid & Sancy) jailbait Nona Demey Gallagher & Lieselot Siddiki technique Kato Stevens, Margy Regniers & Geeraard Respeel light design Kato Stevens set builder Margy Regniers costume design Lieselot Siddiki internship costumes Feiran Zhang outside eye Rodrigo Batista wigs Tibau Beirnaert production management Jarne Van Loon executive producer detheatermaker coproduction CAMPO, Kunstenwerkplaats vzw, De Grote Post, C-Mine & De Studio with the support of Café VenTura, Sabam for Culture & De Vlaamse Overheid thanks to Gouvernement, Karen L.B., Nelleke Janssen, Lotte Groessens, Joeri Happel, Natasha Siddiki, Karel Busschop & Alicia Andries