Gay adult film star, writer and burlesque performer Chris Harder is bringing his one-man show, “Porn To Be A Star,” to Franky Bradley’s.
While the show is based on his own experiences in the gay porn industry, it’s not the tragic, tear-soaked, regret-filled story the public comes to expect from adult-film actors, Harder said.
“I wanted to write something besides the clichéd narrative that we already know about the porn industry: ‘I got into porn and it ruined my life. I got into porn and now I’m a sex addict,’ or ‘I love porn because I’m better than that and now I’m a better person for getting out of it.’”
Harder grew up in North Dakota before venturing to the bright lights of New York, where he got into adult films and burlesque — which led us to wonder how those two radically different worlds collided.
“If I ever figure it out, I’m going to write a really good book,” Harder said. “I got into burlesque by accident. I was a go-go dancer about 10 years ago. I moved to New York to be a ‘serious actor.’ I started dancing and meeting all these crazy nightlife performance artists and burlesque performers, and it eventually kind of stuck. There’s a theatrical element to it. Honestly I feel like coming to New York is the same for everyone. You move there with some kind of idea of the person you want to become, and then all these different doors open for you. Writing ‘Porn To Be A Star’ helped me re-find my voice and also critique the porn industry and my own ego.”
Harder has performed the show across the country and internationally, and said it attracts more than fans of his adult film work.
“I have a mixed following of men and women and all kinds of sexual preferences,” he said. “In a nutshell, it’s a satire of life in the gay-porn industry.”
When it comes to adult film stars branching out and trying to launch projects outside the industry, Harder said the stigma is real. Yet, he added, there are more avenues available to pursue their interests outside adult films.
“I don’t know if we have an example, except maybe Stormy Daniels, where we see a porn star cross over into legit media,” he said. “I think now, because of social media, it’s possible for adult performers to become YouTube stars or have a nightlife career, not because the audience is necessarily porn fans but because people are attracted to being in the presence of someone who has a large following. I started doing children’s theater when I moved to New York, and somehow wound up doing triple-X porn. There’s a hilarity to it because I don’t think I lost a part of myself in that process.”
Chris Harder performs “Porn To Be A Star” 8:30 p.m. June 1 at Franky Bradley’s, 1320 Chancellor St. For more information or tickets, call 215-735-0735 or visit www.facebook.com/events/1316859435126505 or www.harderburlesque.com.