SLAP. BANG. KISS, written by Dan Giovannoni
SLAP. A video of 16-year-old Immi hitting a security officer goes viral. BANG. Sofia’s impassioned speech for the victims of a school shooting makes international news. KISS. In the car park of a Woolies, people rally around Darby and Daniel as the boys lock lips in an attempt to set the world record for the longest kiss.
Shortlisted for the 2021 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards, SLAP. BANG. KISS. tracks three young people whose stories kick-start a series of events none of them could have anticipated, transforming them into global symbols of revolution. But when their stories go viral and the whole world is watching, what will they do next?
Production history
Commissioned and first presented by Melbourne Theatre Company, directed by Katy Maudlin, 2021
National tours 2024, 2025
Praise for SLAP. BANG. KISS.
★★★★ “Leaping from hope to despair and back again in the blink of an eye, (SLAP. BANG. KISS) banishes lazy assumptions about young people being too apathetic, highlighting that it’s almost always the adults letting them down. Never tediously didactic, it’s a refreshing banner-raiser that pulls us into the fray, asking us to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those not yet consumed by cynical surrender.” - Time Out Magazine
Production photography
Tiffany Garvie