High Steaks at The Lowry

In this contemporary one-woman show, award-winning queer performer Eloina takes to the stage naked with two pieces of raw beef steak hanging from her labia. Needless to say, the show was the talk of the Edinburgh Fringe last year, and justifiably so – High Steaks is a clever and deeply affecting performance about labia shaming and cosmetic surgery.

Described as a “Vagina Monologues for Gen Z” by The Guardian, High Steaks fuses performance art and lecture with comedy clowning to open a conversation around the rising demand for labiaplasty (a surgical cosmetic procedure to alter the size/shape of the labia) in young women.

Directed by Louise Orwen, the show is structured around live exchanges between Eloina and her mum, and personal testimonies from others, presented as voiceovers. And all the while, Eloina prepares the steak – chopping it up into neat strips, preparing an accompaniment and then sizzling it on a grill. Masterfully balancing absurdist comedy with sombre real-life experiences, makes for an intense performance. On the one hand, deeply thought-provoking about image and body shaming but also, a celebration of togetherness, self-love and acceptance.

Since graduating from Queen Mary University of London in 2018, Eloina’s performance practice has opened conversations around menstruation, body hair, labiaplasty, vaginoplasty, female masturbation and ejaculation, and motherhood and breastfeeding. Devising and performing work that tackles taboos around the female body, Eloina blends body-based performance with clowning, making her work impactful and accessible across the art world.

Although not for the faint-hearted, we think that High Steaks is a sincere, profound and deeply joyful performance, and necessary viewing for all.