Niplash

Karla Shacklock brings her lactivist theatre show Niplash to the Tobacco Factory Theatres on Tuesday 20 October. It's a physical, visual piece that sits somewhere between memoir and cultural commentary, looking at the mixed messages, societal pressures and emotional contradictions that surround infant feeding.

At the centre of the show is a collection of real feeding paraphernalia and personal stories donated by mothers from across the UK, which Shacklock presents as a living archive of care, chaos and resistance. The piece gives voice to mothers whose stories rarely get told — from those shamed for feeding in public to those struggling in private. It's described as painful, absurd, heartbreaking, heartwarming and full of love.

Shacklock is a Bristol-based performer, choreographer, movement director, writer and mentor. She's staged work with Complicité, National Theatre Wales, Mimbre and Fleur Darkin, and has directed movement at The Barbican, Southbank Centre and the National Theatre. She's also a mother of three who breastfed all her children, and she frames the show for all mums, whatever their choices or non-choices; it doesn't place one form of feeding above another.

Joining her on stage is a guest appearance by Bristol's BYOB (Bring Your Own Baby) Choir. The performance runs at the Factory Theatre, within the Tobacco Factory Theatres on Raleigh Road, BS3 1TF. It starts at 7.30pm and runs for one hour with no interval. Tickets are £16 standard and £14 concession.