Nine Sixteenths

In 2004, the Super Bowl halftime show sparked global controversy when Justin Timberlake exposed Janet Jackson’s breast for just nine-sixteenths of a second. Despite Jackson’s status as a pop icon, Black role model, and LGBTQ+ ally, the backlash derailed her career, while Timberlake’s flourished, exposing a powerful double standard in media, race, and gender. Nine Sixteenths examines who controlled the narrative and why Black women are so heavily scrutinised in the public eye. Told in three acts; The Malfunction, The Aftermath, and Reclamation, the show fuses devised theatre, dance, and lip sync with early-2000s pop nostalgia, centering four Black female performers as they reclaim visibility, power, and voice.