Coming up at The Blue Room is Dirty Talk, a queer, new age, fantastical rom-com that joyfully explores the audio-erotica genre through an immersive soundscape and the discovery of an unexpected connection.
The devised work brings together a talented group of writers, performers, and other creatives to explore the mess of pressure and shame that comes with sex and female pleasure. Together, they interrogate different sides of erotica, both the positive and the critical.
OUTinPerth co-editor Graeme Watson spoke to Talia Zipper and Emily Jenkins about the upcoming production when the team were at the beginning of their second week of rehearsals.
“We’re at the beginning of Week 2 of rehearsals,” Jenkins explained. “The script is in its more final form. We’ve developed it over the last six months.”
Jenkins wrote the script with co-writer Tiahna Johnson, but it has been developed by the entire group of creatives on the project. Zipper shares that even though the script is locked off, the team still has many questions in the rehearsal room, including a strong focus on ensuring the performance is packed with laughs.
The topic of audio erotica and romance was something the team settled on after realising they were all engaging with some form of erotic content across different platforms.
“I think we kind of stumbled into it,” Jenkins said when asked where the idea came from. “We were drawn to the idea of live sound, and then we talked about all having had those experiences. All four of us were talking about the same thing.”
“In your twenties, love, romance, and relationships can be such a mess. There’s comedy there.”
“It’s everywhere,” Zipper said of romantic fiction. “You’ve got Heated Rivalry and Bridgerton, and I feel that more and more people are wanting connection, romance, and big sweeping gestures.”
As the work has developed, the team has explored many facets of romance, relationships, and the human need for intimacy. Working in an all-women theatre group is something Jenkins finds liberating.
“I think we get to be silly,” she said when asked what changes when it’s all women in the room. “Working with friends also means there’s a lack of judgement and a strong sense of safety.”
See what the team has created when the show begins on Tuesday 16 June 2026. The season runs through to Saturday 27 June 2026. Tickets are on sale now.
