Writer, performer and winner of the Sexual Freedom Awards, Joana Nastari closes The Bunker Theatre’s spring season with her award-winning debut. Winner of Wilton’s Music Hall Edinburgh Award and VAULT Festival People’s Choice Award 2018, Fuck You Pay Me is an authentic and hilarious night of entertainment which invites audiences into the joy, the magic and the mundanity of sex work.
Bea’s dreading going home to face the consequences of last night, when her Catholic mum found out what she really does for a living. Blending theatre, comedy, music and spoken word, this is a bitingly observant story of one woman and her job. Featuring a live score and special guests every night, Fuck You Pay Me is a no-holds-barred, explosive trip through the world of London strip club culture which had sell-out runs at VAULT and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals 2018.
Challenging the presentation of sex workers as voiceless bodies in mainstream culture and political debate, Fuck You Pay Me is a uniquely empowering personal narrative which demystifies the reality of the stripper community and skewers dangerous stereotypes. It highlights society’s pervasive and damaging attitudes to slut-shaming, consent and bodily autonomy and confronts the crippling societal stigma and internalised shame around female sexuality which threaten the safety and lives of people across the world.
As part of the Fuck You Pay Me project, the team behind it are supporting the pollination and creation of three Arts-Activism projects around the theme of Sex Worker Advocacy, to be presented alongside the show. Their mission is to end sex work stigma and make allies of everyone and they believe that bringing artists and activists together is a great catalyst for change in the public consciousness.
Joana Nastari comments, “There is a chronic lack of awareness of the working conditions of strippers and other sex workers as the prevailing social stigma propagates a silence around the industry which creates very real danger. The societal view that we’re victims stops us from speaking openly about our work, discussing both the positive and more difficult aspects of what we do. I’ve made this show to both celebrate and entertain women working in strip clubs and in the sex industry. Fuck You Pay Me is a sanctuary for all people who have been subject to slutshaming and whorephobia, and for all people who have ever counted a sex worker amongst the people they love. This run at The Bunker has enabled us to create Fuck You Pay Me in its fullest incarnation, allowing us to platform other sex-worker arts/activism projects alongside the show and programme special guests to perform each night before the show. We can both make some amazing art, and shout louder than ever about workers’ rights and ending sex-work stigma.”
Fuck You Pay Me is at The Bunker 7th – 19th May 2019.
