#Follow _me (Manchester)

Venue: Contact Theatre
Where: Manchester

#Follow_me is a new play created by the Contact Young Actors Company and director Baba Israel. It incorporates material submitted in advance by the audience via Twitter and Facebook. This approach, it is claimed, breaks down the boundaries between audience and artists. In fact the result is more like a cross between a propaganda film and one of those training videos you have to sit through on induction courses at work.

The play is very much a triumph of style over substance. The approach taken to the subject matter is uncritical but imaginative. We meet Samuel who uses the Internet to escape from a difficult relationship with his stepfather. Seeking a more physical separation he visits his elderly grandmother in the USA and, as well as continuing to communicate with his friends, convinces her of the benefits of the Internet. CYAC seem convinced that there is nothing negative about the Internet and try and get this message across like zealots converting the heathens.

However, the script struggles to communicate the point in a clear way often resorting to awful blank verse. In fact the parts of the play that are spoken are its weakest points particularly as some of the cast do not articulate well. No effort is made to examine why people feel more comfortable communicating by social network sites than in person or even if it is healthy to indulge in such practices  

The presentation of the play is, however, highly imaginative. Amusingly parts of the pc are given human characteristics: ‘Enter’ takes an almost nymphomaniac pleasure in being touched but ‘Alt’ is dusty from disuse and ‘Ctrl’ resents being used so often to help the others. The pcs act as sirens ensnaring reluctant new users with their seductive call. As two characters communicate via a social network site other cast members act out their misunderstandings.

Good use is made of Gino Evans‘ video design. The cast respond to tweeted messages that are displayed throughout the play and interact with characters that appear on video screens at times going so far as to step into the screens themselves.

Israel emphasises the strengthens of his young cast and brings out their confident movement skills in a series of very effective dance scenes. It is a shame, however, that the difficulty that some cast members have in speaking clearly is not resolved.

The enthusiasm of CYAC for the Internet and social networking sites means that #follow_me is less analytical than the subjects deserve. Nevertheless it remains an enjoyable if superficial look at an issue that is bound to gain significance in the future 

– Dave Cunningham