Creative Concept & Inspiration

This play draws its inspiration from my own experiences and observations in the workplace. Years of working life have left me fascinated — and often bemused — by the many masks people wear at work: the restraint, the diplomacy, the quiet compromises. Beneath the everyday routine lies a strange mix of sincerity and absurdity, which I wanted to capture through the lens of black humour.

At its heart, the piece explores the idea of the mask — the tension between who we are and who we must appear to be in order to survive. When the mask becomes part of us, can we still recognise the face underneath? Through laughter, I hope audiences might find a moment of release, and perhaps a gentle reflection on their own working lives.

The story is set within the adult industry — a world I have come to know closely. Though often seen as taboo, I believe it mirrors the same hierarchies, anxieties and small absurdities found in any workplace. By placing it on stage, I wish to offer a more open, human perspective — one that invites empathy rather than judgement.

This play marks the first piece in a series about working life — an ongoing exploration of truth, survival, and the fragile balance between the two.

— Tianjiao Tan, Writer & Lead Producer

The “mask” here is not a prop, but a living metaphor. It changes with the light — sometimes protection, sometimes prison. I wanted the audience to laugh, then realise they’re laughing at something painfully familiar.

By combining the language of the workplace with the texture of intimacy — food, bodies, touch — the play exposes how consumption, desire, and survival intertwine. It’s less about the adult industry, more about adulthood itself: how we learn to perform, and how hard it is to stop performing.

— Yi Tang, Director

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