Taking over the Cluny for almost a week in late June, Lor Productions’ ‘Sex is Hard Work’, a tale about a former Tyneside escort, looks set to be one of the ‘must sees’ of 2021. Billed as an insightful and hilarious insight into the unseen world of sex working, Damian Robinson spoke with Lor co-founder and star Alison Stanley to find out more.
Why did you choose to write a play about sex working?
Sex is Hard Work was inspired by the book of the same name and it’s a really interesting play about the realities of some people’s experience of the sex worker industry. Our lead character isn’t a drug addict or some of what else is typically used to describe a sex worker – she understands the industry and knows what she wants. This isn’t a tale about the sex industry; it’s more the tale of someone whose job happens to be working in the sex industry.
And your artistic concept for the show is to portray that?
Absolutely. There’s a scene, for example, where the lead is working the sex phone lines, and while she’s chatting, she’s doing anything other than what she’s suggesting on the phone.
It’ll be interesting to see the show in The Cluny. I can’t think of many other stage shows delivered there…
The Cluny was chosen as it’s an intimate venue and the layout means we can do things with the bar space and the balcony area. We’ve been able to use the space as part of the creative choices and production and we’ve got a really good feeling for how it’s going to work.
What else is planned from Lor Productions after the show?
Lor Productions is a part of the Life of Riley group and we aim to bring together theatre and education into interesting events. Usually, we spend a large part of our time in schools running theatre and workshops for children on important topics such as gambling or social media or revenge porn, and we try to help children understand some of the risks involved in each and support their awareness. Delivering the workshops in lockdown was difficult but it has seen us develop interactive sessions like ‘Really Reilly’ which is a play for schools about autism.
Such important topics…
They are. ‘Really Reilly’ has received great feedback from students and teachers and parents and we’re hoping to carry on letting schools know about the programme and how it can support their autism awareness programmes.
‘Sex is Hard Work’ will run at The Cluny from late June. For further information, head to thecluny.com.
You can find out more about Really Reilly through the official website at reillycic.com.
