In every theatre where LOVE ME BY THE HOUR is played, an exhibition can be experienced. This exhibition consists of the following parts:

The audio installation The work of subjectification (2021) by artist Pennie Key. Key describes the installation as ‘an honest, non-judgemental documentation of men and masculinity, based on the artist's observations and experiences’. Key's works largely deal with power dynamics, sexuality and gender. A significant part of her research comes from practising martial arts and various forms of sex work.

Photo exhibition of Reimagining Sex Work. This exhibition introduces you to all aspects of the lives of people in the sex work industry to counter stereotypical images (which often come with a negative connotation). Reimaging Sex Work is a feminist activist collective made up of sex workers, researchers and scholars.

The Educational Table. Want to learn more about sex work? At the exhibition, there is a table with all kinds of information about sex work. For example, a book about Lisette (sex worker, also performer in LOVE ME BY THE HOUR) and a media guide from Reimagining Sex Work.

The music for this performance was created by Lucia Zemene aka Lotsy! Want to listen back to the songs? Click here!

DIRECTION

Otto Calmeijer Meijburg

CHOREOGRAPHY

Ulrike Doszmann

GAME

Alexandra van Ameijde, Marloes Dingshoff, Eric Groot Kormelink, Rowy La Haye, Lisette Mepschen, Lucia Zemene

ARTISTIC DIRECTION

Sanne Arbouw, Merel van Lieshout

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Ad de Wolf

SCENOGRAPHY

Sjaan Hofstede, Pleun Verhees

TEXT EDITING

Storm Vogel

MUSIC

Lucia Zemene

PHOTOGRAPHY

Rox Klijn

FILM

Paulus Aarts

PRODUCTION ASSISTANCE

Jasmijn van Meurs

TECHNIQUE

Joep van Zoelen

COMMUNICATION

Mariska van Schijndel

FORM

Anna Kindt

WITH THANKS TO

Het Zuidelijk Toneel, Schouwburg Tilburg, Prisma, Storm Vogel, Fred Jacobsson

FUNDS

Fonds voor Cultuurparticipatie, Kunstloc, Gemeente Tilburg, Cultuurfonds Brabant

De voorstelling heeft op dit moment geen speelbeurten. Bij nieuwe speelbeurten voegen wij hier de toegankelijkheidsinformatie toe.

OTTO CALMEIJER MEIJBURG
Otto Calmeijer Meijburg graduated from the Physical Theatre department of the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen (DE) in 2020. Hen works as a performer and theatre maker in Germany and the Netherlands. In different constellations and contexts, Otto explores how movement theatre, a love of science fiction, live music, and going to extremes in play and improvisation can come together.

ULRIKE DOSZMANN 
Ulrike Doszmann (born 1970) came to the Netherlands to study at the Fontys Dance Academy in Tilburg. After graduating in 1998, she started creating her own performances. Ulrike combines this with working as a dancer and performer for, among others, dance company Vloeistof. She has been teaching Movement Classes at Fontys for the past three years.

The theme of the show is paid sex. It is a world that is still strongly taboo and therefore very little known and understood. The sex worker's perspective has received scant attention in recent years - as in the recent series Sex Angels on NPO3 - but still the stereotype of ‘the poor woman who needs to be helped’ and/or the criminalisation of the sex worker is persistent. Indeed, the client's perspective is hardly even heard, so the stereotype of ‘the dirty male’ is still painfully present.

Speels Collectief spoke to several sex workers and clients in its preliminary research for the performance. What recurs in all their stories - and thus in the performance - is that a genuine search for finding and intimacy is paramount. Sex work and making a strong commitment to a person need not be mutually exclusive. This does not mean that the performance romanticises sex work. We recognise that not everything in that world is beautiful: trafficking in women and forced prostitution are a problem. However, because of this problem, paid sex is often only associated with harshness, lust and violence. As a result, the many beautiful, personal stories of connection and intimacy get lost. LOVE ME BY THE HOUR gives those lost stories a stage in theatre.

This is a Company performance. The Company is reconstituted for each performance. To do this, the artistic team looks for talented people with diverse perspectives that fit the theme of the performance. In cooperation with the team, this Company creates a high-level performance and goes on tour throughout the Netherlands.

People can also be selected for the Company company from Speels Collectief's Community. The Community is open to all and is a place to meet on the floor. With them, Speels Collectief plays performances on a regional level. This is always in collaboration with students from arts and social studies programmes.

Are you a programmer and interested in this show? Check out here the Book Us page for more information.

Apt theatre about sex workers and their clients - Scenes

THEATERRANT | Mixed abled company shows that sex work is an honourable profession and so is use.

BRABANTS NEWSPAPER | Sex worker Lisette and client Eric offer an insight into the world of paid intimacy.

BRABANT GROUP | Sex worker Lisette from Tilburg has warm ties with her clients.

NOS | Sex worker Lisette from Tilburg has warm ties with her clients.