Financial dominatrix Lane Kwederis tells all in her revealing show: Sex Job. With a cornucopia of off-the-wall stories to tell, Kwederis educates the audience in the obscure realities of sex work via lip-sync, video footage, reenactments, stand-up and song.
Her peppy personality radiates as she gleefully discloses experiences that would make one blush
Kwederis does not hold back, and it is a delight to watch. Her peppy personality radiates as she gleefully discloses experiences that would make one blush. As she tells the audience the story of how she came to sex work, what becomes clear is the complex reality of power play in heterosexual dominatrix sessions, where a female dom is often pressured by the male sub to dominate him in a way that makes her feel uncomfortable. Insightful details such as this result from hilarious stories of all the strange things Kwederis has done for money, breaking the stigma and allowing her to be empowered.
The show is entertaining, educational and bags of fun. There is a fine line between reality and role play in sex work, and Kwederis’ show cleverly plays with this idea as she meta-theatrically hosts a game show and lip-syncs to dominatrix ‘infomercials’ using exaggerated and eager gestures that mimic stereotypical pornstar characters. At times, her keenness and zealous demeanour feel at odds with the more risqué themes discussed, making the jokes feel more artificial than they perhaps could be. That being said, Kwederis’ energy onstage reflects her background in musical theatre, which works to her advantage as she pulls from multiple disciplines. A highlight of this overlap must be her material on sex work as an improv class and, of course, her original songs.
Sex Job introduced me to a first: I had never before heard someone state that ‘fetish can be lovely’. It opened my eyes to the stigma that is so deeply rooted surrounding kink and sex work. Indeed, the show deepens your understanding of how sex workers are mistreated by systems of power and why they need support. I also came away immediately wanting to become a financial dominatrix, so that’s something to bear in mind. If you fancy some cheeky afternoon Sex Job is the show for you.
