It’s Not Creepy If They’re Hot

Posted on 18 September, 2019

Content warning: Sexual assault and sexual harrassment. 

It’s a title that will likely prompt a snort of laughter from some people and an approving nod from others.

But the National University Theatre Society’s (NUTS) upcoming play It’s Not Creepy If They’re Hot isn’t worried about ruffling feathers. In fact, it’s here to make some very clear statements.

A play written by a millennial (20-year-old Sydney based playwright Rosie Licence) for millennials (and beyond), It’s Not Creepy If They’re Hot tackles uncomfortable topics like sexual harassment, mental health and even sexual assault without fear.

Ahead of opening night tonight, we chatted with Director Sophie Tallis about theatre for young adults and directing in the time of #metoo.

Would you classify It’s Not Creepy If They’re Hot as a drama or comedy or both?

Definitely both. This play is hard to define. It’s funny and entertaining and you can’t help but laugh at all of the oh-so-relatable moments when you’ve had the exact same conversation in your own life.

But that said, this show does delve into some serious issues like sexual assault, drug abuse, and the anxiety so many young people have about the current state of the world. [However], there is a real sense of hope in the play, and I hope audiences leave feeling empowered to change this situation.

So I like to think about it as an optimistic and realistic snapshot of life, and consequently like life there are moments of comedy and moments of drama.  

Why did you choose this play for NUTS?

When I was thinking about plays I knew I wanted to direct something that would make the audience laugh but come away thinking.

I love how relatable it is and how it starts out as one thing and ends up being a story that’s completely different. It addresses an unspoken culture without the audience even realising it.

I’m so excited for audiences to see it and hopefully take away something about the importance of speaking up and calling out behaviour that for so long has gone unchallenged.

What does a young adult play look like in 2019? Do you feel it’s true to life?

It’s hard because I think young adults are rarely the target audience of plays, and they’re often ignored as consumers of theatre.

This play definitely places young people front and centre and acknowledges the irony and hypocrisy of the social media age, where everyone is so self-aware and concerned what others think of them that they forget about them as a person who is also dealing with the same issues, which I think is very true to life.

I remember the playwright Rosie Licence describing the dialogue at times like something out of Mean Girls, but in 2019 the kind of characters that say these things do it with such a self-awareness of being ‘the mean girl’ that they’re essentially performing that role.

Being at a party or in any social situation in 2019 can so often feel like a performance, constantly switching roles to be accepted by the various groups of people you come across that it is so easy to forget that everyone is doing the same thing and no one is really being their authentic self, which makes the fact that It’s Not Creepy If They’re Hot is a play such a perfect representation of the irony of so many social interactions in 2019.

It’s Not Creepy If They’re Hot tackles a lot of heavy and intense yet very important topics head-on. What’s it like putting these issues on stage in an era of trigger warnings and #metoo?

I think if anything this time is the perfect time to put on a play like this. It’s a time where society is listening up and giving a voice to the stories that need to be heard.

Rehearsing these scenes can be very draining and challenging and I cannot give enough praise to the professionalism of the cast and I’m very proud of how supportive of a rehearsal room it is.

Given the climate of these conversations, we’ve put in a lot of time and effort to making sure we address these moments sensitively and have consulted those with the training and knowledge of how to talk about these issues to make sure we are doing it justice.

What I think is so well done about the play is the fact that it manages to be funny and hopeful while still giving the appropriate weight to these incredibly important discussions.

Even the title of the play is intensely relatable–how does it summarise the play’s themes and messages?

The title through its absurdity captures the harmful message that girls in particular subconsciously internalise very young: that all attention is good attention, especially if it’s coming from someone attractive.

Whether it’s because someone is hot or popular or the captain of the footy team, there is an unspoken idea that one should be thankful that they’re paying us attention.

But as the play points out being any of those things doesn’t excuse certain types of behaviour and doesn’t entitle them to any special exemption from basic human decency.

The play and the title points out it’s up to us to call it out for what it is: creepy.

Why is it important for people to see this play?

This play does something that I think is so powerful–it centres the conversation around sexual assault by focusing on the bystanders of the situation. It calls out everyone who had an opportunity to stop and question what they’ve seen that made them uncomfortable.

It’s the start of an essential conversation that needs to be had in a time where everyone being so concerned about what others think of them that they’re afraid to confront others about their actions.

What makes it even more important is that it explores this idea in a relatable and approachable play. Rather than preaching a message, it allows the audience to be immersed in the play’s world and be entertained while still engaging in this conversation that needs to be had.

It has been an absolute pleasure working with this play, the cast and the crew who have created something so special. I hope that audiences enjoy themselves and the show’s humour while also engaging with the themes.

It’s been a privilege to work with Rosie’s text and given the fact the play is a piece of verbatim theatre with its lines being taken from real people’s experiences, I hope audiences enjoy seeing this two-hour slice of life as a young adult in 2019.

the essentials 

What: NUTS presents It’s Not Creepy If They’re Hot
When: 18-21 September
Where: Kambri Drama Theatre, ANU
Tickets and more information: Facebook
Instagram: @itsnotcreepyanu2019