If former sex worker and current author Janice Blaze Rocke is being honest, she’s never been impressed by media depictions of her profession. Strippers usually appear in brief cameos, marked by sensationalization and trivialization. Other biographies take a sociological view that downplays emotion. Rocke isn’t interested in that, either. Instead, she wants to open up non-sentimental narratives about the real-life experiences of herself and her co-workers.
“So many of the women I worked with were really fascinating, interesting people way beyond how we’re depicted or understood in the world, especially at that time,” Rocke says.
Her short story, “Imagine” – one of a series of connected narratives about her experiences as a dancer in 1980s San Francisco – makes its stage debut at the Carl Cherry Center with Rocke’s burlesque theater company, Erotic Eclectic, this weekend.
Rocke’s narrative brings light to the weird duality that exists within sex work. It’s difficult and crushing, but it’s also like any job. The employee banter is matter-of-fact and witty – just with more flippant discussion of sex toys.
Right away, Rocke invites viewers clearly and unsympathetically into the world of her former self. She presents a heroine, Blaze (Zoey Kriegmont), in the midst of adapting. Blaze is bruised, self-conscious and seeking to numb herself, but still idealistic enough to believe in the integrity of her career and her ability to break the stupor of an indifferent audience. Blaze’s final dance number (the titular “Imagine,” by John Lennon), is presented like a cry for authenticity.
“She was too sensitive to be in that profession,” Rocke says of the character. “The world around her is very abrasive.”
Rocke and Western Stage’s Nina Capriola co-direct the show, which runs for two weekends alongside other revamped Erotic Eclectic performances. It features choreography by Carri Newhouse and projections by Kaya.
Through its adaption to the stage, Rocke’s story remained fairly intact. She never intends to shock, though she acknowledges, “it happens sometimes.”
It’s not just about the bigger picture, she adds, but it’s personal: “I was doing it as a catharsis for myself.”
Not everyone can readily relate to what sex workers go through on the daily. But once Lennon’s piano refrain signals the start of Blaze’s performance, there’s something for everyone to find catharsis in.
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