BACKSTAGE AT MIDSUMMA with Keelan Armstrong | P*RN
- TW
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
In today's Backstage at Midsumma, we spoke to Keelan Armstrong, director of P*RN (the show) about what Audiences can expect when they see it next week at Explosives Factory.
Turn off the lights, lock the door and get ready to delete your search history because P*RN is about to hit the stage. P*RN is embedded in our society. It's scandalous, shameful and sinful but is also very gay. This monologue style play takes this taboo topic and views it through a queer lens. From the rise of Pornhub and the great P*RN purge, to the queer panic we feel when two women on TV might kiss or searching up men in underwear on the family computer. The play follows a sinful selection of sexy characters as they explore how porn can shape our sexuality, identity and society. This dark comedy will make you blush, cringe and question your relationship with adult industry. Because when your entire existence is taboo it makes sense to turn something equally as taboo. All of this will be explored when we open incognito and delve into the $100 billion industry that is P*RN.
Q: Take us back to the start. When did this show first drop into your head? How did it get to where it is now?
My mother once asked me what queer shame feels like and I responded with ‘it's like watching porn’. It feels good, you know you shouldn’t be doing it and you are terrified someone is gonna find you doing it. And then boom I knew I wanted to create a play about PORN.
I grew up in a weird time for queer kids, no one would hate crime you but at the same time no one acknowledged the existence of queer people. So I turned to pornography to basically show me what a queer relationship could look like. And I think many young queer people do this in the hope to understand themselves and their queer identity more.
I did a lot of research (been doing research since I was 14 in a dark room with the door locked) and it was utterly fascinating. Porn is so integrated into our society and our culture. I can’t wait for people to see the impact it can have on us.
Q: What will people find in your show that they won't find anywhere else in Midsumma?
HOT. ASS. ACTORS. My actors look like pornstars and for that I salute them.
But on a serious note this play embraces the taboo and encourages audiences to have a conversation about porn. It’s one hour of fast paced, sexy, real stories that leaves you numb from shame. Allowing you at the end to freely talk about the taboo to the person sitting next to you.
Q: What will surprise audiences about this work?
THE GREAT PORN PURGE. It’s insane. Like it’s genuinely…wild.
Q: You're on a blind date. Nervously, you walk into the bar. Across the smoke and pool tables you see them - there they are. Your exact target audience member, personified. Can you describe them?
Someone who was once so ashamed of their identity. A person who avoided looking at the under section of Kmart or remained completely still when two girls kissed on their tv. Someone who wished they could change their identity but now couldn’t imagine their life any other way.
They have crushed that doubt with their 6 inch pleaser heel, standing tall. Someone who’s not afraid to tell someone what they want done in the bedroom. Someone who never fakes it.
A. HOT. SLUT.
Q: What has been the most memorable moment in the process so far?
Getting a chance to talk to my cast about their own journey with porn. Hearing the different stories and opinions reminded me exactly why I wanted to create this play. No two people are the same with their porn experience and I believe audiences are really gonna resonate with that.
P*RN plays 27 - 31 January at Explosives Factory as a part of Midsumma Festival.
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