PRESS: Samantha Carlisle’s MESSY at Theatre Arts

Spark in the Dark

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MESSY, onstage at Theatre Arts from 20 to 24 October 2025, is an unflinching, irreverent story confronting misogyny, societal shame, and emotional detachment through the lens of an online sex worker. 

MESSY production photo supplied.

Fresh new voice, Samantha Carlisle bares all as she brazenly tackles the trials and tribulations of online sex work and modern dating with the return of her debut one-woman show MESSY, a semi-autobiographical comedy/drama written and performed by Samantha Carlisle and directed by Dara Beth.

Described as “bold, moving, emotionally horrifying, and laugh-out-loud funny”, MESSY is a bawdy show offering insight into Carlisle’s own experiences as an online sex worker. This piece investigates the various ways in which modern dating culture, internalised misogyny, and sex work can impact our relationships and views on sex.

From the misogynistic ramblings of the ill-equipped sex-ed teacher at her Methodist school to the toxic men she collected like Pokémon along the way, MESSY is an ode to all the disappointing one-night stands, the short-lived shags, the tender moments we share with people who end up disappointing us, and the divas who found themselves saying “I should quit my job and sell feet pics instead”.

You don’t want to miss out on this hilariously daring new show! It is a show for all of the women and femmes who are having to refigure out the modern landscape of desirability, dating, feminism, and their attraction to men.

“Then came MESSY, a bold, irreverent one-woman show by Samantha Carlisle. Equal parts hilarious and gut-punching, the piece explores sex, intimacy, and emotional detachment through the lens of an online sex worker. Carlisle’s shapeshifting performance confronts societal shame and misogyny, offering a liberating space for women’s voices in conversations around pleasure and agency.” – IOL

“An exciting new sex-positive play, invigorating a feminine gaze which rails against misogyny and male domination. I loved this play.” – Robyn Cohen, The Cape Robyn

Title: MESSY

Dates: 20 to 24 October | 19:00, 25 October | 17:00 & 20:00

Running time: 60 minutes

Location: Theatre Arts, Observatory

Writer & Performer: Samantha Carlisle

Director:  Dara Beth

Produced by Spark in the Dark

Tickets: https://theatrearts.co.za/show/messy