A Brief History of "Post Porn Modernist Show"

The Post Porn Modernist Show chronicles Annie Sprinkle's careers as a sex worker, pro-sex activist, and artist; Then later her interest in "Tantric Sex", Feminism, lesbian culture and Goddess mythologies. It draws from her personal experiences working in the sex industry, as a prostitute and star of pornographic films, and incorporates many performance devises learned while working in burlesque. The show is a complex anthology of Sprinkle's life experiences, as well as her research into human sexuality and spirituality. Over the past decade Annie Sprinkle has emerged as a critical figure in womens' performance art. Her exploration of female sexuality, sexually explicit subject mater, and use of her own body as a vehicle for, and of, investigation places her in the forefront of postmodern feminist performance.

Between 1989 and 1996 Annie Sprinkle worked with three different directors in development and stage direction for the Post Porn Modernist Show. Emilio Cubiero was the first director to work with Sprinkle on the initial organization and presentation of her existing vignettes from previous projects into a full length one-woman show. Later, sometime between 1990 and 1991, Willem deRidder worked on a second adaptation of the script and then directed the show for a European tour. Willem deRidder, a long time friend and collaborator with Sprinkle was also a conceptual / performance artist associated with the Fluxus movement. With deRidder's involvement the show became more open in format with an emphasis on Sprinkle interacting with the audience. This can be attributed, in part, to deRidder's interests in Fluxus performance strategies. Then in 1996 the show was revived for a final tour in Australia that was directed by Barbara Carrellas.

In 1989 the Post Porn Modernist Show was first performed at the Harmony Theater in New York City. It was then later presented in venues in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia between 1989 and 1996. These venues include, in part, the Kitchen, NYC; Cleveland Performance Art Festival, Cleveland; Lower Links, Chicago; Highways, Santa Monica; Joseph Papp Public Theatre, NYC; Vortex Theatre, Austin; Buddies in Bad Times, Toronto; Highways, Los Angeles; Diverseworks; Houston. And in Europe at the LeKliene Comedie, The Netherlands, and the Schmidt Theater and De Kleine Komedie Theatre in Germany.

In 1996 Annie Sprinkle retired the Post Porn Modernist show. At that time the scripts, costumes, props, and audio visual materials from the Post Porn Modernist Show were acquired by the Robert J. Shiffler Archive. These materials have been catalogued and documented and are available for purposes of research and study through The Robert J. Shiffler Foundation. (For catalogue listing please refer to the Post Porn Modernist Show - Archive.)