Whore’s Eye View
Comedy (solo show, storytelling)
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Venue 40C ARTS | C venues | C alto - theatre
- 19:20
- Aug 25
- 1 hour
- Country: United States
- Group: Kaytlin Bailey with Old Pros (New York, USA)
- Warnings and additional info: Audience participation, Contains mature themes, Strong language/swearing
- Accessibility: May not apply to all performances. You'll find more information about accessibile performances and how to book tickets in the accessibility tab below.
- Babes in arms policy: Babies do not require a ticket
- Policy applies to: Children under 2 years
Description
A mad dash through 10,000 years of history from the perspective of a sex worker. Through historical canonized characters, Whore's Eye View traces the evolution of the sacred whore from deified, to demonized, to diseased. Weaving comedic storytelling with the wisdom of her own lived experience and contemporary observations, Kaytlin Bailey artfully unpacks the complex, age-old stigma underpinning a status quo designed to keep women in their place. 'The solo show mixes erudition with earthiness. It flows from unfiltered divulgence to impassioned thesis, all leavened by a parade of well-honed zingers' (San Francisco Chronicle).Please note that while all media gallery content is provided by verified members of the event, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society does not review or approve this content before it is posted. Reports of inappropriate content or copyright infringement can be directed to [email protected].
General venue access
- Accessible entry: Enter building from Victoria Terrace using permanent ramp. Take stairs or lift up one level to first floor. There is level access to space. Accessible toilets at rear of ground floor foyer.
- Stairs: Information not supplied
Wheelchair access type: Building Lift
Each venue can contain several space with different accessibly information. Visit the venue page for full venue accessibility info
How and when to make an access booking
- Phone: +44 (0)131 226 0002
- Email: [email protected]
- Textphone: +44 (0)7860 018 299
- Find out more about access at the Fringe.
Our access tickets service is available to anyone who:
- Would like to book specific accessibility services, e.g. a hearing loop, audio description headsets, captioning units, seating in relation to the location of the BSL interpreter
- Requires extra assistance when at a venue
- Has specific seating requirements
- Is a wheelchair user
- Requires a complimentary personal assistant ticket to attend a performance
Kirsty Mckinlay 13 days ago
Amazing show, so empowering and heartfelt. Such a powerful topic which is explored in such a creative and thoughtful manner. I'm absolutely reeling. Would definitely go and see again
Milena Whales 13 days ago
Everyone must watch this!
Especially if you think you would never take money in exchange for sex!!!
What happens when governments crack down on sex work? Why does that not result in reduced rates of violence against women and sex workers alike?
These are some of the questions asked and answered in the show.
While the world is busy judging sex workers for working and providing an in-demand service, they are also (un)consciously sanctioning exploitation be it child labour, forced labour & modern day slavery.
Kaytlin is a brilliant and witty storyteller, who is knowledgeable, compassionate and builds great connection with the audience!
Thank you for bringing this story to the Fringe!!! Please write a book too!!! This should be part of the school curriculum!
Anne-Marie 14 days ago
Amazing show .
Very very funny , informative and such an important topic !
Wish everyone could have the privilige of experiencing and receiving the message and intention of this Show !
Thanks SO much Kaytlin , thanks for being you and sharing so courageously and powerfully !
Claudie 15 days ago
This hour left me wanting so much more of all of it!
It was informative, engaging, funny, enraging, sad, heartfelt, relatable and I just can't get enough. Kaytlin was open and personable sharing parts of her own story with sex, pleasure, work and family while weaving it in with history, religion, power, morality and throughout calling for a revolution of (or perhaps revival of) female pleasure, freedom and empowerment.
I honestly can't wait to follow Kaytlin and her projects to see what more she has to share with the world and giving us the feminist awakenings we all desperately need.
I really wish that this reaches a broad audience because it is the history lesson we all deserve but have been deprived of!
Pierre de Roubin 16 days ago
Such a great show! I learned so much in one hour about the history of sex workers (and about the history of sexism as well), and yet I was laughing every five minutes. The balance between jokes, interesting facts and shocking truth is so wonderfully found that I did not see the time fly, and I just wanted to stay for more.
Really, congrats for this mind-blowing show
Andrew 17 days ago
Saw a poster for this while seeing another show and, on a whim, decided to go. It's probably the best, most thought provoking, educational, and interesting show I've seen at the Fringe. It was also very funny and it really made me consider how political systems word fear and "protection" and made me want to do something about it. Kaytlin's presentation was funny, smooth, approachable, and easy to listen to whilst covering challenging topics.
Lucy 19 days ago
This was a really great show, managing to be both super informative and also very entertaining and funny at the same time. I learnt a lot of new information and gained a new perspective that I hadn't considered before, and it has inspired conversations with friends and more research afterwards. It definitely made me stop to think, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it.
Gilly 19 days ago
Informative, interesting, important and entertaining. Highly recommended!
Chris Griswold 20 days ago
Yesterday, I saw Kaytlin Bailey's Whore's Eye View at #edfringe, and I absolutely loved it.
The show is a history of sex work and how when societies have attacked sex work, they're really attacks on "women in public" under the guise of public safety from sin and/or disease, and they're an attempt to treat women like property.
This hour-long production was incredibly smooth, informative, and charming. The artful presentation made the hour fly by, and I felt even more invested in the rights of sex workers and how they are connected to the rights of women and queer people.
I have followed Kaytlin on social media for years, and her online presence and content are as engrossing and delightful as this show is.
Ian Mantgani 22 days ago
Listed as a comedy show, and performed with energy and wit, this is really a quite substantial lecture about the history of prostitution from Babylonian times to today, and its representations in society from pedestal to pariah status, by a former sex worker and highly educated advocate for decriminalisation. I look forward to Bailey publishing a book, which she says she plans to do, because there’s a lot of information here that it would be terrific to piece through and research in more depth. As it is, the show is highly polished, accessible and funny, as well as being passionate.
It also rhymes nicely with another Fringe show, Katharyn Henson's Stories from the Office of a Sex Dungeon, which is another disarmingly presented and demystifying portrayal of sex work.
viktor goetz 27 days ago
Amazing show. The delivery, timing and dynamic of the show keeps you on your toes the whole time through. I wanted to suggest bringing up how recently has the last witch execution/burning taken place. Thank you for all the work and for bringing us back to reality
L 29 days ago
Deeply interesting, funny, thought provoking, leaves you with a remembrance of your own internal rage and why it's there. Go. And. See. This.
The Elephant in The Room 30 days ago
Insightful journey into sex work, journeying through the origins and history. Informative but still funny! Loved the slideshows too!
Fiona 30 days ago
Go see this show! It's funny, incisive, thought provoking and at times poignant. It does exactly what it says on the tin- razor sharp stand-up, touching personal storytelling, contained within an on-point history lesson that packs a political punch. Highly entertaining, expertly delivered, definitely worth it!
Vts 31 days ago
A well put together informative,funny show delivered by a host with fantastic ability to own the stage with their storytelling.
Meg 31 days ago
This show was absolutely brilliant! So educational and so funny. A fascinating look back through history at how women have been demonised for centuries for being independent. You don't need to work in the industry, or know anything about it to enjoy this show - I would highly recommend as an intellectual, fun and powerful show that just has to be seen! Five stars.
Brenda Noiseux 32 days ago
Witty, personal, and enlightening, Kaytlin Bailey entertains while departing historical knowledge, challenging what the audience thinks they know
about sex work and sex workers.
Fans of the TED-talk style will also enjoy this format.
Victoria Doll 32 days ago
Well, what can I say? It was absolutely amazing. I personally loved the way history was intertwined with personal stories related to sex work in various forms. The show offered a fresh, thoughtful take on sex work and highlighted important women in our history. This is a must-see at the Fringe Festival.
Rebecca Stewart 32 days ago
You need to see this show! What a rollercoaster. From gasps of awe at the vibrant history of the relationship between women, worship and whores; laughter at Kaytlins clever wit and distain for the Catholic Church; holding in ugly sobs from her hard-hitting personal stories. This is one you don’t want to miss! Whore’s eye view takes you on an emotional, empowering, enigmatic journey through the history of sex work while cleverly weaving Kaytlins own experiences throughout. Her passion for changing the narrative on the oldest profession shines through with every quip, quote and thought provoking anecdote. I cannot recommend it enough!
Hans R 33 days ago
Beneath the well-researched history, the laugh-out-loud jokes, and the interesting personal narrative, this show raises a question that cannot be ignored about a fundamental hypocrisy in our society:
We collectively venerate our young who sell their bodies for war, but ostracize those who sell their bodies for sex. Why are these different? Really, why? And, if it's just the cultural baggage of a few millennia of manipulation and control, how should we do better?
This central dilemma (and this show) is well worth your time regardless of where your moral commitments lie. Watch it! You won't be disappointed.
Paige Landino 33 days ago
Amazing show! I’m really grateful to the work colleague who pointed me to it—this isn’t one to miss. As a sex worker, historian, and theatre kid, Kaytlin Bailey is expertly positioned for this show. It’s hilarious, compelling, well-researched, fascinating—all the good stuff. And amidst all that, it provides a really compelling argument.
If you or someone you know is on the fence about the decriminalisation of sex work, this is for you too. The show is threaded through with a remarkable compassion for those whose perspective is uncertain or even opposed to the one it presents. Anyone who doesn’t know where they stand will not go unchallenged by this show, but so long as they enter with a willingness to listen, they will be welcomed.
There are also tons of additional resources for anyone who is interesting in learning more after the show! For my part, I’ve since listened to the Carol Erwin episode of Kaytlin’s The Oldest Profession Podcast, and absolutely loved the deep dive into a specific old pro and how sex work functioned within her specific times and places. There were so many times I wanted to stand up and cheer for Carol and the women she worked with! As a librarian, I was also fascinated to learn that in places across America in the early days of the USA (and I’d now imagine in many times and places, although I don’t have the knowledge for definite claims), brothels filled a role very similar to many libraries today: in addition to providing a core service, they were crucial community hubs that expanded to fill all sorts of community needs on a locally determined ‘as needed’ basis. I’ll definitely be listening to more!
Jemima Seager 34 days ago
Whore’s Eye View was a masterful blend of humour, history and personal connection that made the show fly by and cemented it as my favourite pick this fringe. Strongly recommend everyone to see this show and bring a friend!
R.W.W. Greene 34 days ago
You will wish she was teaching history and sex ed to all the kids on the planet. Funny and real. You local school board would ban it, but screw those guys.
Will Sharp 34 days ago
Absolutely brilliant. A genius balance between being very funny but also thought provoking and educational, with powerful messages that everyone should think about. Will definitely be going to see the show again to absorb more of it, including some of the jokes that went over my head…
Tim 35 days ago
DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW.
This is an important, viable playbook for dismantling patriarchy. It's also damn entertaining and accessible!
From one dude to others who might be reading this, go see this show.
Indigo Evans 35 days ago
Part history, part confessional, all entertaining, informative and thought provoking. Kaytlin is a well researched and entertaining speaker with a wry and relatable sense of humour. We've probably all got something we could learn from this show.
Venue Access: the venue is reasonably accessible but the staff could do with more guidance. We were initially directed to the stairs despite using very visible mobility aids. We had to request access to the lift and request access to seating while we waited to be permitted to use the lift. Then the general audience were instructed they could now go upstairs before the access audience were. This meant we came out the lift and had to join the back of a queue with no access seating. Seats inside the performance space are tiered theatre style with pull down seats, very close together, and it is only the front row that doesn't require steps. First access for people with mobility difficulties is essential before this row fills up.
Hazel 37 days ago
Came for the feminism, stayed for how damn funny the show was. I learned, I laughed, I lapped it all up… highly recommend for anyone who is a woman or anyone who knows a woman.
Caitlin Sutherland 37 days ago
Kaytlin's show is both hilarious and poignant - a trip through history that was as entertaining as it was informative, important and impactful. We couldn't stop talking about the impression the show made, I couldn't recommend it more
John Irvine 37 days ago
As the father of an intelligent independent daughter, this 63 year old man considers this a must see and inspirational show for all young women (and men!).Kaytlin is inspiring and informative and entertaining. I loved it.
Holley Conte 37 days ago
An absolutely STUNNING show! Kaytlin showed a beautiful combination of jaw-dropping historical information, tear-jerking anecdotes and hilarious jokes - we couldn't stop laughing! We had the best time and will be thinking of this show for a long time.
Ceri Smalridge 38 days ago
Funny, interesting and engaging. Katlyn is a brilliant story teller and this is must see! 10/10.
Bronwyn Stevens 38 days ago
A must see! A mix between a history lecture, her own personal experience as an escort and a comedy show. She traced the history of the subjugation of women through history, adding new material to a familiar tale. This show made us re-evaluate our stance on sex work and sparked a three hour discussion post show. Funny, emotional and highly evocative.
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Playbill 13 days ago
The Scotsman 13 days ago
Participants - for further details on our audience and published review policies, including how to add or opt out of reviews, please click here.
Participants - for further details on our audience and published review policies, including how to add or opt out of reviews, please click here.