‘I’m actually thinking about giving into temptation. The original sin.’
Ani is a dazzling young academic with a secret addiction to violent pornography. As her career and relationships unravel in between lectures on Paradise Lost, can she confront her uncontrollable desires?
Funny, unsettling and honest, Sophia Chetin-Leuner’s Porn Play was shortlisted for the Verity Bargate Award in 2022, and premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2025, directed by Josie Rourke and starring Ambika Mod.
‘An ambitious balance of tragedy, horror and comedy… as moving as it is unsettling’
— Guardian
‘A ground-breaker… a play that dares to be funny, as well as deeply disturbing… Important, uncomfortable theatre, brilliantly shining light into a very dark place’
— Daily Mail
‘Daring… What is most refreshing about Chetin-Leuner’s play is that there are no easy answers… Porn Play is by turns funny and disturbing – a welcome and bold addition to the growing discourse surrounding sex and the internet’
— Independent
‘A deliberately shocking, thoughtful work that’s also funny… a bold probing of a dirty little secret in society… an eloquent expression of underlying pain’
— London Standard
‘Gutsy and bold… a powerful portrait of somebody buckling under an addiction… Chetin-Leuner is adept at writing amusing dialogue while treating her protagonist seriously… a singular work, both enjoyable and distressing’
— Time Out
‘A brave play on a difficult subject… engages seriously with a subject that is too often hidden but is altering an entire generation’s understanding of relationships… terrifying and valuable’
— WhatsOnStage
‘A provocative drama about transgressive desire and addiction… sparky and inquisitive… The dialogue zings, and there’s a playful erudition in the writing’
— The Stage
