Raunchy Renditions, Comedy
Venue: Gymnasium
Next performance: Saturday July 5 22:00
Review
By Tanya Maswaure
Last night I shared my most embarrassing intimate story with a group of strangers, and I have no regrets.
As someone accustomed to being in the audience, I saw the stage as a somewhat distant place. Now I have learned firsthand that nothing is as thrilling and rewarding as the audible crowd response heard from the spotlight.
It was more than affirmation and validation. It was the connection, the vulnerability, the release that comes with allowing a group of strangers into the locked-up, shameful dungeons filled with my insecurities.
The theme of the night was ‘No regrets’ – coincidentally – and it was one of many Raunchy Renditions shows put up by Spark in the Dark Productions during the National Arts Festival. Raunchy Renditions is a comedy series that invites all who are confident enough to gather into a sex-positive space to share their intimate and exciting stories. A few are selected to speak in front of an eager and encouraging audience. The show is based on the expression, “Shame dies when stories are told in safe places,” and the hosts speak to this as all storytellers, new and experienced, are welcomed onto the stage and supported throughout the storytelling process.
Initially, I was hesitant to enter this space. I was not new to Raunchy Renditions and had grown to become an avid fan of what the show did, but only as a spectator. But after some internal monologue, I convinced myself that this was maybe the opportunity I never knew I needed. The story I told was not new; I had shared it with a few close friends, and they all agreed, as good friends do, that it was hilarious. What I had not expected was a group of strangers not only agreeing with my tale but approaching me afterwards to share their own experiences – leading to some fantastic and unique connections I could never have imagined. I left with new friends, a newfound liberation, and I truly felt safe despite former insecurities around scandalous confessions.
