A short summary of your project
I’m raising £2000 to stage Lucy Kirkwood’s NSFW, a razor-sharp satire about power, exploitation, and survival in the media industry.
NSFW will be shown in Corbett Theatre, East 15 Acting School, at 7pm, 3rd October and 12pm, 4th October. Your support will help us bring this timely story to life with strong design, fair support for our actors, and professional production values.
Who are you?
I’m Valerie Mo, a graduating MFA Directing student at East 15. Originally from Shanghai, I’m passionate about directing and developing text-based new writing about womanhood, intimacy, and cultural identities. I'm beyond excited to announce my thesis show NSFW as the culmination of my studies here at East 15 :)
Our production is made up of a diverse group of international creatives from the UK, the US, China, and South Korea!
Your story
Although paper magazines are practically a museum item by now, the questions and themes of NSFW have stayed unfortunately relevant in 2025.
On the surface level, it explores the commodification of female sex on both sides of the spectrum. In lad mag Doghouse the female body is casually objectified and used as nothing but a way to grab eyes and sell magazines. Later in Electra, women's insecurities are constantly stirred up and taken advantage of. This particular combination of misogyny and capitalism is one we are not unfamiliar with right now.
However, beneath this we see how fundamentally the story is a timeless one about power and exploitation. The human beings in this story are pressured to sell what is private and personal for other people's amusement and monetary gain. The pressure comes from nowhere else than the pressure to survive, to have a roof on their head and food on their table. We approach this story, hoping one day we will not have to ask ourselves the question: how much of myself can I sell?
With your support, our creative team can realize our vision and do the story justice.
Where will the money go?
- Travel compensation (£1000): Supporting safe, reliable transport for our team of 6 actors and 1 assistant director during a six-week production period. With rehearsals and late-night performances, this ensures no one is out of pocket for simply showing up to create the work.
- Sound designer hire (£300): Engaging a sound designer to shape the play’s sharp, satirical world. Their contribution helps capture the pulse of office life and the ironic humour woven into Lucy Kirkwood’s script.
- Intimacy director hire (£100): Ensuring sensitive scenes are approached with care and professionalism, safeguarding our actors while allowing them to tell this story with confidence.
- Costume purchasing (£300): This mainly covers intimate garments essential to the storytelling that cannot be sourced through school stock.
- Marketing (£200): Funding professional promotional materials and outreach so that NSFW can reach new audiences beyond our immediate circle.
- Printing (£100): Covering programmes, posters, and rehearsal scripts, the small but essential items that connect audiences and help the team work effectively.
- If we end up raising more, we will use the extra amount to hire professional photographers and videographers to document the project.
rewards
We have some fab rewards to thank everyone who donates, no matter the amount. From shoutouts to behind-the-scenes updates, we’ll make sure you feel part of the journey!
find us here
Follow us on Instagram: @nsfweekly, where we will update information about our creative team and everything about the creation of this show!
