Friday 23 February 2018

TIP-TOP TITILLATION FOR A TENNER
ILLICIT THRILL: TITS, TEASE AND TEN POUND NOTES AUG 4-6, 10-13, 17-20, 24-27 23:55 (00:55) The Voodoo Rooms (Venue 68)
The Fringe’s shadiest nightspot, the Illicit Thrill is back in the stripteasing business.
Housemistress Gypsy 'Fur Coat No Knickers' Charms and trusty sidekick Savannah 'Best Butt in the Business' Duvall will guide punters through the bump'n'grindy world of tits, tease and ten pound notes.
Leave your inhibitions at the door and pledge to perv responsibly as you meet the teasers who prowl the aisles plying their trade.


From the Girl-Next-Door to the Bootlickers peeler of choice they have found their gimmicks – and when you flash the cash they’ll flash the ...


Q 1:What was the inspiration for this performance?


The inspiration for the performance was my PhD which examined striptease in Scotland focussing on strip clubs.

Q2: Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas? 

Yes it is. The power of live performance in the discussion of ideas and dissemination of information remains a powerful tool. 

Q3: How did you become interested in making performance?

I've always had an interest in live performance (like so many who end up  working in entertainment), starting dance classes at age 3 definitely played an important part, and I have been performing in various genres since then. 

With regards to The Illicit Thrill, making the performance was inspired  by the PhD. 

Q4: Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?

The Illicit Thrill has been running at the fringe for the last four years and the initial concept was to create a show based on strip clubs and strip club culture. The Illicit Thrill essentially is a venue within a venue where the Ballroom of the Voodoo Rooms is transformed into a strip club. 

Each year the show focused on an aspect of the PhD and the show is created round this. Last year the show was created around the history of striptease from 1960 to present day, examining the impact of social, political and economic factors on the modus operandi of striptease and the manner in which the industry adapted its services and operations.

This year's the show focuses on interactions in strip clubs and the impact this has on the personas and performances that dancers in strip clubs adopt. It also touches on using strip clubs as a site for gendered resistance, censorship and freedom of expression. The scripting, pace and content are determined by the time slot of the show (11.55pm) as a result audiences can choose to read the show on different levels. 

Q5: Does the show fit with your usual productions?

The Illicit Thrill differs from other productions in which I am involved (I often work in line-up style shows) in that it is a scripted show (with some leeway for improvisation as we provide as immersive a strip club experience as possible within the confines of the venue space). 

The casting for this show also differs from other productions in that cast members have all worked in various types of striptease-based entertainment venues, and some (like myself) have been involved in activism. This year's cast includes one of the founding members of the ELSC, Stacey Clare. 

Q6:What do you hope that the audience will experience?

I hope that audiences enjoy the show! The show also aims to give the audience an insight into different aspects of strip clubs and strip club culture, demystifying an environment that audiences may not have been in before. For those who work in the industry it acts as a piece about them.

Q7:What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience? 

 The theme of the show very much dictates the strategies for shaping audience experience. Strip clubs are interactive environments where service providers and customers constantly interact. The Illicit Thrill provides similar interaction al structures to those of the strop club setting in show format. 

2016 answers...
What was the inspiration for this performance?

Essentially it's my PhD which looked at striptease in particular strip clubs.

Is theatre still a good space for the public discussion of ideas?

Yes, I believe it is. Live performance creates a shared experience whereby the ideas and concepts within performance promote wider discussion out with the piece.

How did you become interested in making performance?

I find the premise of making performance a fascinating concept in itself. Essentially performance for most people is a part of everyday life  - I am a bit of a Goffman fan - whether they know it or not. Creating performances for an audience (in a show format) draws heavily on my own experiences...and I've been on a stage in some form or another for over 35 years.

Was your process typical of the way that you make a performance?
Yes it was. The Illicit Thrill is a venue within a venue. The audience is presented with the dramaturgy of a strip club within a show based format where the venue is transformed into a strip club called the Illicit Thrill. The processes in making the performance including the essential strip club interactional structures of customer (audience) to stripper (performer) translate into a show-based performance model.

This year I decided to focus on the history of striptease from 1960 to now, bringing in the socio-political factors that affected the mode of operation and the services the industry offered. It was clear that the narrative progression  of the show would be linear (show times and audience expectation also shaped the narrative progression). The process of creating this edition of a the show was to pick key influences in the historical progression of striptease and develop a late night show around these.

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

I hope that the audience will be entertained and also learn a little (if they didn't know so already) of the progression of striptease based entertainment in particular the way in which the industry and its' services have been developed by outside factors.

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?
Effectively the questions I ask myself are: what do late night audiences expect; how can the show fit within this paradigm; and, how can the show best deliver a 'message' to the audience. The time slot of the show influences the scripting and flow of the show. Furthermore, a late night time slot determines the way in which the show concept is delivered. Being a late night show has its advantages in that audiences have come to expect more risqué elements in shows in that time-slot. It also presents challenges in that scripts have to be concise and entertaining, while also (in the Illicit's case) still trying to highlight socio-political factors that have influenced the industries development.

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