Nine Sixteenths

Important Information

Age Recommendation 12 and over

Performance Dates 19 - 30 May 2026

Performance Times Tues - Sat 7:30pm, Wed, Sat & Sun 3pm

Run time 1 hrs 20 mins (no interval)

Content Warning Features strong language, references to sexism and racism

Venue Brixton House

Journey through '00s nostalgia through the media storm of Janet Jackson's 2004 SuperBowl halftime show.

Developed with Complicité. Co-commissioned by Cambridge Junction with the support of Stobbs New Ideas Fund and Pleasance.

Devised by Paula Varjack, Pauline Mayers, Julienne Doko, Chia Phoenix and Endy McKay

In 2004, in the SuperBowl halftime show finale, 23-year-old Justin Timberlake ripped off 37-year-old Janet Jackson’s top. Her breast was exposed on screen for nine sixteenths of a second. A pop icon and role model for many Black women, and an outspoken ally for the LGBTQ community, the moment derailed Jackson’s career for many years, while Timberlake’s thrived.

But who was invested in the backlash? What does all this have to say about the demographics of who controls the media, and the ways in which Black women are scrutinised in the public eye?

From THE MALFUNCTION to THE AFTERMATH and a celebration of RECLAMATION, Nine Sixteenths invites you on a journey through 3 acts, exploring themes of representation and pop culture with a nostalgia for the early ’00s, along with the hopes and dreams of 4 Black female performers, all through a visual variety of devised theatre, dance and lip sync.

Please note, this show has integrated BSL as part of the production.