In the modern age, it’s difficult to go long without the internet. There’s a very strong, more than likely chance that you are reading this review on a phone or laptop. If you’re someone who is more savvy at networking, I can only hope it’d encourage you to share this with friends and share not only my work but that of The Phantom Projects. Over the past year, I have attended three of their shows and cumulatively they have become a favorite every time they stop by La Mirada Theater. As theater performed for students, it connected their audience to literary adaptations and their most recent work #TheSocialMediaPlay continues that trend. While it only clocks in at roughly an hour, it produces a stirring look into the lives of teenagers as they navigate the real world while finding the digital one impeding certain liberties. The results range from sad to downright entertaining.
With an ensemble of 14 actors, the youthful cast brings to life an abstract vision of the modern era. The first scene features teens sitting at a restaurant and testing each other to see who will grab their phones first. The issue isn’t so much that they’re all clamoring to pick up a vibrating phone or check current events, but the silence that overwhelms the scene. They produce something provocative in this minimalist scene. What is a human connection when it’s all done on a phone, where most characters spend their lives talking to technology and having that connect them to worlds beyond their understanding? It’s a story that’s all too common and all the more impressive for how nuanced The Phantom Projects handles the story.
With the use of digital screens, the actors’ performances are complemented by videos from various social media platforms and news pieces that connect what can be seen on those screens. It starts innocuous enough with TikTok dances and trends. Those more connected will recognize figures like Charlie D’Amelio quickly. The virality of these clips creates a subconscious of how overwhelming it is to exist in the modern age. Every minute you’re not consuming information, there’s a good chance that you’re miles behind the conversation. As the videos continue, they range from comical pokes at social media – like a clip from South Park – to vulnerable conversations with teens trying to work out their anxieties. In some tragic cases, there’s even discussion of the struggles that come with being online, such as bullying and violence.
Even if this can be seen as novelty, it’s all part of a bigger piece that manages to convey so much in so little time. The stage uses a spare amount of props to help highlight the immersion one has with social media, where the focus is on the glowing screen beneath them. Other scenes break further into interpretive, having the cast stand scattered across the stage. As a spotlight hits them, they quote buzzwords that you might find on Twitter. Some of them are simple influencer slang that is so vapid it’s funny, but there are times when the ricochet effect produces an overwhelming awareness of how the internet works. The comical is next to the dangerous and even misleading commenters. It’s all part of the grand tapestry, and it helps to make the show’s most noteworthy moment.
Of the actual stories that ground the rest of the experience, there is one surrounding a girl who finds sending nudes to a boyfriend to be an accidental viral moment. While this moment is telegraphed with very direct language, it’s the progression that makes it greater. There’s emotion in watching the ripple effect, of how a vulnerable level of trust grows into one character’s insecurities with her body and even public relationships. She is branded because of a moment that was innocent. The whole story’s crux relies on how well this moment works as the dissenting comments tower over her, and it’s the finale that brings everything together with resonance.
There are some ways that #TheSocialMediaPlay may seem underwhelming. The most noteworthy is that it only lasts an hour and features an ending that is less direct. What the audience is left with is lingering uncertainty. The themes have been played out, but one has to wonder if these characters can find peace with their social media experiences. To an extent, the show implicitly works as cautionary maybe even critical of being online. Its take reflects how social experiences can sometimes feel lacking online, and yet it’s crucial to the everyday. There is no answer except personal discipline. Still, how does one find that when everything is moving so fast and sometimes confusingly?
For my particular show, they followed the production with a talkback featuring the entire cast. It was a chance to discuss the themes of the show as well as various reasons that they enjoy working with The Phantom Projects. While I attended an evening show with an older crowd, they claimed that many of the references were funnier with the thousands of students who had seen the show in the previous days. Some of the funnier moments include one actor filling out a survey for the show by saying that only people 13-40 should have cell phones. To their credit, they’re a lively bunch who have plenty of enthusiastic stories to share. There are even a few relatable tales shared that only show how the fiction isn’t far removed. As a whole, it elevates the show from a simple piece of art into something greater and more immersive. Given that the show starts by reflecting on how people don’t talk to each other, ending with such sentiment only shows the power of reaching out.
All in all, #TheSocialMediaPlay is another worthwhile show from The Phantom Projects. I continue to enjoy a lot of what they do and think that this one presents a wonderful message in organic and honest ways. It may differ a smidge from their other shows, but it definitely feels like a worthwhile undertaking. Given that they’ve used shows like The Outsiders and The Face of Emmett Till to reach local audiences and present complicated topics, social media use is definitely one in need of exploring. It may be small, but it’s in breaking things down to their core elements that suddenly everything becomes greater. There is an understanding of the emotional weight that comes with logging on in the morning to see what you missed. Thankfully, this show does plenty to capture it quite effectively.
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