“Pro-Am” Reviewed by Julia W. Rath

*** It’s no secret that there has been an explosion of pornography in the present-day and that the internet contains a significant number of adult films and erotic images. But have you ever been curious about the lives of the sex workers who create this content? Have you ever wondered about how an industry initially made up of amateurs and hobbyists became professional? Whether you are openly enthusiastic about porn or reticent about the subject matter, “Pro-Am” can definitely be quite an education. Written by Brynne Frauenhoffer and directed by Rebecca Willingham, this is a show about how straight, lesbian, and trans women provide a ready market for South Florida content creators, who exploit these individuals for titillation and profit. In this narrative, we get to learn something about the distinctive personalities and backgrounds of each of the sex workers, why they have chosen to do this kind of work, what they think they might gain from it, and how they are regarded by other women in the trade.

The story opens and closes with the entrepreneuring Joe (David Stobbe) recruiting for models between the ages of 18 and 25 and offering to pay for free flights to Miami to a shared housing situation with very low rent.* One by one, various women (a/k/a “girls”) answer the call. Joe, their manager and agent gets them their assignments and basically does his best to care for all of them, as each of the recruits brings their own spin to sex work. Gabby, brilliantly played by Jenni Hadley, amazingly paints portraits in the audience’s mind about her interests in a fantasy world like Dungeons and Dragons. Angelíca Grace, who plays the trans femme model Nastasia, demonstrates an almost maternal sense of caring as the glue that keeps the household together; what an astounding performance! We see the women mostly in a living room setting and listen to them trading stories, advice, and warnings. Just be prepared to hear the characters using explicit language about sex, sexuality, and kinkiness at almost every moment of the show.

There are a number of very heartfelt scenes throughout. Among others, we witness how Joe finally admits how much he is attracted to Nastasia, despite the fact that he has tried very hard to put his affections under wraps. We see how the women struggle when Mackie May (Kaylah Crosby) has been physically assaulted by disreputable filmmakers; and Mackie no longer wants to do this kind of work. Then there is Jenni Jaxon (Amanda Fink), who is very outspoken and eventually goes into rehab where she is treated for substance and alcohol abuse. (I should add that although much of the script is very good, this is one place in the script where I would have wanted to see more self-destructive behaviors take place on stage; the only thing we really see regarding addictions is some vaping.) We see Hayley James (Brenna DiStasio) earlier in the show, to be replaced by Livi Claire (DiStasio). Livi is a writer, but does she really want to go into this business or just write about it from the inside? And Chloe Kendall (Jalbelly Guzman) eventually decides to team up with Nastasia to form their own porn model enterprise. Basically, all of these women have visions for their future lives, which involves gaining the necessary financial resources to live out their dream: whether this means wanting to establish a stable relationship with one person (straight or gay), dreaming about travel and future adventures, opening their own business, or continuing on in future sex work as a professional.

Spencer Donovan, the scenic designer, has created a living room setting that works for this production, together with Persephone Lawrence, the props designer, who in addition to supplying furniture has supplied sex toys! Kudos to violence and intimacy director Samantha Kaufman who has done a great job regarding scenes with close contact. I particularly liked how lighting designer Josiah Croegaert lit up the proscenium opening, or the fourth wall, whenever the female characters stand in a line to address the audience; and the same goes for whenever Joe addresses the audience to advertise his business. Emily Hayman’s sound design could not have been better. Especially notable is Caitlin McCarthy’s costume design: The intimates are beautiful and sexy and work with each individual’s body type, while the casual wear is perfect for everyone.

We witness the emotional and often physical hurt that each of the women go through and how they try to deal with it. Their various responses to this type of abuse eventually lead the characters to go their separate ways. Note that the hasty description in the advance piece is not even the focus of the show. There’s a lot more to this tale above and beyond Nastasia and Chloe’s choice to leave Florida to go to the San Fernando Valley to open up their own porn model business. In fact, this thread doesn’t even come up until roughly fifteen minutes before the end, and it’s simply one of several outcomes of the larger story.

Yet from my perspective, too many people in the audience appeared to be content with the uses of salty language and a quick tease. As I sat there listening to the audience laughing during certain scenes, I couldn’t figure out why so many seemed insensitive to the women’s hardships and were far more interested in hearing the nitty-gritty of their sexual exploits. Of course, the salaciousness of the various stories is very compelling, but, on second thought, some of the audience member’s reactions made me feel as if they were looking upon these women as sex objects: just the opposite of why this play was written in the first place. What appears to have happened is this: Since we are never privy to any overt sexual encounters, most of the negative experiences are told to the audience rather than witnessed first-hand. The effect of this is unintentionally to minimize the injuries which these women endure. When the audience remains at some distance from the characters, empathy becomes lacking, and their hurt can become the butt of jokes. While it would be very difficult to watch the actual infliction of pain and abuse, watching some of this violence unfold on stage could be important for the audience’s sake. That way, they can adequately reflect on the suffering that the characters go through in the course of their paid employment.

At several times during the performance, we see how the women hide behind the veil of a stage name. But when they want to truly be themselves—that is, be true to the part of themselves that cannot be touched or bruised by the outside world—we learn their real names. Then too, we see the characters near at the end (once again) dressed as sex workers. Although they wear their sexy apparel when they first take their bows, they return wearing robes over these flimsy garments. This for me is symbolic of their desire for privacy and individuality—and marks a separation of their work lives from their private lives. In all, the show describes how porn models are “working girls” who are worthy of dignity and respect. Even though being a part of this industry may not be exactly what they want to do, many of them make their peace with it until they feel that they can move on and do something else. Although the show points up the sad plight of all these individuals, it casts no judgment as to whether the porn industry itself is good, bad, or otherwise: just that it continues to exist—and that the photos and videos being produced can potentially remain forever on Pornhub.

“Pro-Am” is playing through June 15, 2024, at the Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, in the Upstairs Mainstage on the second floor.

General Admission Tickets: $5 – $35.

“All pricing tiers are general admission and are offered in the spirit of accessibility. Please purchase a ticket at whatever level is financially comfortable for you. In addition to the paid tiers, there are also a limited number of free tickets available. Use code FREE to unlock 1 complimentary ticket to the performance. Paid tickets, especially the full price $35 level, make this program possible. Thank you!”

Performance schedule:

Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m.
Sundays at 3:00 p.m.
Industry Nights: June 3 and June 10

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35386/production/1192849 or the Box Office at 1331 N. Milwaukee Avenue

For general information about the Den Theatre and to learn about their other offerings, go to: www.thedentheatre.com.

*It’s very clever that our ticket into the show resembles an airline ticket, which are given to all the new sex workers once they have pledged to relocate to Miami.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Pro-Am”.