Sydney-based Amie Wee is the creator of ‘Rule 34 Club’, and is gearing up for the premiere of her solo show – ‘Live Nude Clowns’.
Roll up, roll up. The loveable lunacy of 'Live Nude Clowns' will have you questioning whether (rule) 34 is the new 69.
Written by, directed by, and starring Amie, it brings the WTF to Fringe and is so very wrong, and yet, so very right?
Here, Amie answers some questions about 'Rule 34 Club' and 'Live Nude Clowns'.
What is 'Rule 34 Club' and why did you create it?
'Rule 34 Club' is like a variety show . . . On acid . . . With more bodily fluids. The concept of 'rule 34' is, “if it exists, there is porn of it”, and each performance must essentially pervert the norm. No two shows are ever the same and every performance is always totally ludicrous, filthy, funny and often messy. I created 'Rule 34 Club' as a short-term experiment, but it’s been running for over two years now and has sold out pretty much every month. It’s creating an empowering, exciting, offbeat storytelling community. And there’s always a horde of new faces each month, which is exciting.
How did 'Live Nude Clowns' come out of 'Rule 34 Club'?
With 'Rule 34 Club', I do all the background stuff, from curating the performances and working with the performers, to the marketing and sponsorships. I also MC each show and sometimes perform myself. I wanted to put energy into seeing how far I could push myself as a creator, so choosing to write, direct and feature in a one-hour solo show seemed like a good challenge. Plus people are fascinated by my work history and are always bugging me to write a book about it, so I figured, why not use it to fuel a solo show?
How have you found the process of creating a solo show differs to creating 'Rule 34 Club'?
It’s about 69 times the work! Creating a solo show is pretty tough because well, you’re working solo. And you’re trying to balance writing and rehearsing the thing, while also marketing yourself. The biggest challenge though is when you’ve been working on a scene for so long that you start to doubt whether it’s actually funny or if you’re just delirious.
What is the format of 'Live Nude Clowns'? Is it a stand-up comedy show?
It’s storytelling through all the means! There’s spoken-word, stand-up, skits, songs, video and a (perver)TED talk. It’s basically a one-hour variety show of me telling and showing my wildest stories and strangest fantasies I’ve had while working in the porn industry.
What kind of work have you done in the adult industry?
I started off managing an adult store, then for around five years I filmed, directed, photographed, wrote about, reviewed, edited and censored porn. I’ve also been the editor of men’s magazines, reviewed tonnes of sex toys, wrangled jelly wrestlers and retouched more bumholes than should be legal. I also managed a BDSM house for a while there. But 'Live Nude Clowns' specifically focuses on when I was a video editor and essentially watched porn for eight hours a day for half a decade.
What are some of the highlights of your career in the industry?
I don’t know about highlights, but one of my strangest moments was definitely being paid to babysit world-famous pornstar Ron Jeremy for three days. Or that time I did an erotic photoshoot with a mother and daughter. Wowzer.
What inspires you to create theatre?
I want to show people something they’ve never seen before. And I love to blur the lines between performers and the audience. We’re all part of the show…
Why clowns?
Because everyone loves being under a big top . . .
