Paying for it

What do we know of sex work? What are the prejudices and clichés that surround it? Who are these women, these men, these transgender people who offer a sexual service for money and that society refuses to consider with the same respect, the same rights, and the same protection as other workers?

By zeroing in on prostitution the Collectif La Brute takes on a taboo. Using documentary theatre, the artistic team wants to get a grasp of a fluid reality. It dismisses the fantasies and beliefs that surround it, including its own, and only gives credence to the witnesses it meets. Sex workers, vice squad officers, clients, and members of the sex workers associations, the Collectif La Brute has listened to many people describe their daily lives. The result is a poignant, painstakingly documented show.

Sonia Verstappen, retired Brussels prostitute, anthropologist and a militant member of Utsopi (Union des Travailleuse.r.s du Sexe Organisées Pour l’Indépendance), brings straight talk to, and shines a light on, the stage work.