Artist and cultural innovator Ivan Michael Blackstock explores themes of life, death and rebirth in this Olivier Awarding-winning show.

Wandering between dreams and reality, TRAPLORD takes audiences on a new heroic journey to self-actualisation.

Using dance, theatre and spoken word to explore raw themes of mental health and masculinity, TRAPLORD is an invitation to question the stereotyping of Black men in contemporary western society – portraying an attempt to escape from a mental state of being condemned before having lived.

TRAPLORD premiered at 180 Studios, London and won the 2023 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production. Ivan Michael Blackstock is a multidisciplinary creative known for his work as an artist, mentor and cultural innovator.

A Co-Production with ALTRUVIOLET, Factory International and Sadler’s Wells.

Media Quotes

“Traplord is loud, audacious, edgy, surprisingly sensitive and worth seeing”

★★★★ The Times

“It’s a truly impressive piece, a confident mixture of speech, theatre, music and dance, tied together”

★★★★ The Guardian

“Technically brilliant and conceptually unique exploration of Blackness and masculinity”

★★★★ The Stage