Pornographic Play Oversteps Boundaries but Insists it is "Art"

Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
8 Feb 2012

Violent degrading and sexually explicit but

defenders of the play insist it is Art

The opening of a play in Sydney tonight was chosen by its producers for its shock value and features violent sexual scenes of bondage, rape, murder and graphic sexual assault.

Despite overseas reviews describing the play, which follows three ex strippers on a killing spree across the US with pro-life activists as their victims, as "sickening" and "pornographic," Sydney's newly-formed Workhorse Theatre Company insists the work is "art".

Judging by the publicity for the play, including an explicit raunchy promotion, it is almost certain that if the play had been made into a film, it would have received an X-rating from Australia's Classification Board.

"But while films are assessed and classified, there seem to be no such restrictions for live performances," says Caitlin Roper, state co-ordinator with the increasingly powerful and influential grass roots organisation, Collective Shout.

Co-founded by Melinda Tankard-Reist, well known author, activist, columnist and commentator, Collective Shout fights against the sexploitation of children and young women, as well as the objectification of women whether in advertising, on billboards, in marketing, retailing, magazines, the media and businesses.

With more than 5000 men and women of all ages, all faiths and no faith at all, from all walks of life across Australia, joining in Collective Shouts campaign, the organisation has become mainstream and has had considerable success in its short two year history.

Melinda Tankard Reist

Using its voice and the web, it has had violent and sexualised T shirts withdrawn from sale, overtly sexual bill boards removed, sexually violent and degrading ad campaigns halted and inappropriate overly sexual underwear for under 10s taken off the shelves.

Now Collective Shout is turning its attention to prevent "art" being used as an excuse for what appears to be sensationalist and blatant pornography.

"As far as I know there are no rules limiting what can be seen in a live performance and the press releases sent out to promote this play are particularly disturbing," says Caitlin. "The images which are also on Facebook include scantily clad women jelly wrestling as well as images depicting bondage, violence and sex, and are typical of porn-inspired male fantasies."

The play, called "That Pretty Pretty; Or, The Rape Play" was first staged in the US with founder/performer of the Workhorse Theatre Company, Troy Harrison insisting it is black comedy and darkly funny.

Promoting the play on the Company's website as "not suited for minors or the easily offended," and "as in your face as theatre gets," Troy Harrison says he and his fellow performances wanted to ensure the Company's first production started with a bang.

Photographer Bill Henson photographic exhibition

of adolescents also triggered a debate about

what is art and what is pornography

"So we chose this play because it is so confronting."

Opening at a Darlinghurst gallery tonight and running until Saturday 19 February, the play has already triggered controversy and more importantly, re-raised the question yet again of what is art and at what point does it cross the line into the murky realm of exploitation and pornography.

Although Australia censors and classifies films, computer games, DVDs, videos and pornography, with live performances it seems anything goes, says Caitlin.

At 27 and the mother of three youngsters, like many parents she is troubled by what is increasingly regarded as the norm when it comes to sexually explicit content whether in magazines, in video games, online, on television and on billboards.

"Boundaries are continually being pushed with violence becoming more eroticised. The suggestion women enjoy being aggressed by male partners is disturbing but to then show men inflicting violence on women, as seems to happen in this play, can not only make violence against women seem more acceptable but even desirable," she says.

Caitlin Roper

Caitlin is also concerned about the blatant flippant attitude shown by the theatre company producing the play and its disregard for women who have survived sexual assault, rape, violence and abuse.

"These women are almost always deeply traumatised and sexualised representations of violence such as portrayed in the play's publicity, trivialises and undermines the very real pain and emotional distress they have endured," she says.

To find out more about Collective Shout, its aims, its ongoing campaign against the sexploitation of children and objectification of women log on to www.collectiveshout.org