“You watch porn. Right? You don’t have to tell us. That’s not what this is about.”

In 2017, pornography is all around us and the amount we watch it is growing at an exponential rate: in the UK alone, 10 million porn videos are consumed every day.

As society’s access of pornography increases, so can our unwillingness to talk about it. The Coolidge Effect saught to break this taboo.

Devised from interviews with porn advocates, addicts, mental health experts and scientists, these unique stories and viewpoints are told through four intertwining narratives: George, a Gameboy-wielding teenager; Gary, a father lost in the depths of his own addiction; Gail, a pioneering porn producer and Retrospect, an ex-porn addict who wants you to understand.

The Coolidge Effect uses an interactive blend of storytelling, poetry and science to examine how pornography affects our mental health, relationships and sexual experiences.

The original premise of The Coolidge Effect was “this performance can happen anywhere: from a town hall to a theatre space”. The production has toured to theatre studio spaces across Scotland and schools and youth groups in Dumfries and Galloway. In 2020 we created a audio play of the piece with a new score composed by VanIves.