The so-called “Family Sex Show,” a UK-based theatre production that sought to teach children as young as five years old about sexuality by exposing them to naked adult performers while they discuss sex and gay topics, has been canceled due to backlash from the public.
The production company, TheEgg, described the show as “a fun and silly performance about the painfully AWKWARD subject of sex, exploring names and functions, boundaries, consent, pleasure, queerness, sex, gender and relationships” on their site.
TheEgg’s mission was stated plainly on their site, where they said they wanted to give feminist talking points to “multi-generation audiences.” They wanted to teach that pleasure was a “vehicle for consent – knowing that we get to decide what feels good for us as individuals, and that our boundaries are ours to decide.”
The theatre group said in a statement: “The decision has been made by venues to cancel the tour of The Family Sex Show this Spring 2022. There will be performances for an invited audience at The Egg, Theatre Royal Bath ahead of subsequent public performances in the future.
The Family Sex Show: Cancelled before it opened – where do we go from here?
A short (ish) thread…
— ThisEgg (@ThisEgg_) April 19, 2022
“These public performances would have offered safe and positive learning to children, young people and guardians about rights, bodies, sex and relationships, advised by safeguarding and educational specialists.
“Audiences were given information about the content before booking, so that they could make an informed decision to watch the show.”
The group said that it is “regrettable that violent and illegal threats and abuse directed at the company and venues by a small group of people with extremist views has prevented families from opting to attend something that was transparent, consensual and legal.
“The group blamed the “structural and societal attitudes towards Relationships and Sex Education as well as art, culture and who is allowed to create and what we are allowed to engage with in the UK.”
“The creative team will spend the next two weeks finishing the show, ready for a time it might be able to meet public. We also want to respond to the events of the last few weeks and how we move forward.
“Removing work that celebrates freedom of expression from stages cannot be the answer.
“For audiences who booked, or wanted to come to the show, we are sorry, we hope you will be able to soon.
The group ends their message with an appeal to other theatres, saying: “For venues who might want to programme the show, we hope you will.”
