THIS IS HARDCORE

Although Googling its title might ruin your reputation, New Theatre’s production of Jonathan Hall’s Hardcore, according to its director, Mackenzie Steele, is more comedy than comely, and will excite more in the way of laughs than anything else.
“It’s an ironic title rather than a literal title,” he says. “It’s ironic in the sense that the characters try to be hardcore emotionally, and this makes the play actually quite comical.”
Being presented as part of this year’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival, Hardcore tells the story of four young men trying to make the big time in the porn industry, and the trials and tribulations that inevitably ensue. While the play explores what leads people to participate in pornography, Steele says that this is in fact a question with no one answer.
“The characters are all very different. We have the banker who’s come in for a bit of escapism. He lives the high life with a sugar daddy. There’s another guy who’s more professional about it, takes it all very seriously, with a real disassociation between love and the act of pornography. There’s also someone who is doing it as a way of furthering his acting career. Finally, there’s another person who comes into it because he thinks he will make a connection with others, find true love or something. So, all these people coming together leads to some hilarious outcomes.”
Given Hardcore features four such distinct characters, the casting was obviously always going to be interesting. Steele says that going against the grain produced some exciting results.
“Certain people gravitate towards certain roles, so sometimes it’s good to cast against type. There’s a bit of that in this play and it’s actually lead to some really funny moments. There’s a nice dynamic happening throughout the course of the play.”
Like all good quality comedy, Hardcore has a serious underside. Given pornography is such a large, albeit unspoken part of our culture (or so Drum is – ahem – told anyway) engaging in a discourse about it is no doubt important. Steele says that the play’s main thematic concerns are that appearances can be deceptive and that the interface between porn and real life is sometimes confusing.
“The main thrust of the story is between two of the protagonists who find the opposite to that what they thought they were coming into it for. The one who is trying to find a connection ends up buying into all the hype of the porn industry. The other guy who is trying to be professional finds out that what he thought the porn industry was isn’t what it turns out to be either. And some of the things the characters are doing on the set of the porno remind them of some real situations they’ve had in the past, and these things have bearings on how things play out with the characters on set, trying to become porn actors. Things from the past have an effect on them now, what it is they want to get out of these opportunities, how prepared they are to do certain things.”
Steele also says that being part of the cultural phenomenon that is the Mardi Gras means a lot for Hardcore, as well as being a real honour.
“It’s wonderful,” he says enthusiastically. “Being part of the Mardi Gras is just great. We know that we have a particular audience that we’re catering to. We know that we have a really great audience that’s going to be very open-minded when it comes to what the play is about, as well as the content. Then there’s the international presence and the fact that we’re recognised in the Festival Guide. It’s a privilege, really, and it’s great to be part of supporting Mardi Gras.”
As for whether Hardcore will tour the rest of the country, Steele sounds cryptic but hopeful.
“Watch this space,” he says, and theatregoers everywhere would be mad not to.
WHAT: Hardcore
WHERE & WHEN: New Theatre Thursday 4 February to Saturday 6 March