I'm one of the audience members who stayed what I think I can pretty much confidently call "long enough." Villa Salò wasn't a place that you lap up in an afternoon or evening. Most people are far too nervous, far too impressionable and reactive, and far too impatient to get a hell of a lot out of the first four hours--just my opinion. It's not until a great deal of boredom can set in, until there is time for reflection (which yes there bloody well is), and until you stop reacting to everything you see and hear and start just being in the Villa with the performers that you get a chance to let it sink in. It takes a commitment from the audience, sure. Although given that the performers gave months of their lives to this extraordinary project, I don't think it's too much to ask.

I'll be honest: the first time I saw a performer eating shit I thought it was real, and I reacted accordingly. I saw sexual contact that I was sure was simulated but other acts that I wasn't so sure about, even after spending eight days there. I think many of the suggestions that the performers were mistreated lead from the fact that SIGNA's group are expert illusionists as well as actors. I think you insult the performers when you suggest they didn't know what they were doing. Rather, you thought you knew what you were watching, but you were taken in. And the only reason why I didn't leave the house thinking that they ate real shit and were at massive risk for sexually transmitted diseases and broken bones is because I was there long enough to spot some of the methods. Most audience members saw what they were supposed to. They didn't see the quick, reassuring whispers, the way the swing of the arm is designed to make the whipping look much worse than it was, and countless other tricks. They're visible if you know what to look for, and nearly impossible to spot if you're distracted, emotionally involved, or stressed, which most people are for the first few hours they spend in the house. Frankly I'm dead impressed at their theatical skill.

While it's true that as an actor, your role can surprise and change you, your sanity is kept firmly in place by the technical skills you use and the support of your fellow workers. If you spent two afternoons in the show and think you have a better idea of what really went on than I do - and ESPECIALLY better than the performers, then you're being foolish. The piece was fucking brilliant, better than anything else I've ever seen in my 32 years. And actually, I think SIGNA's work is the kind of therapy I need most.