In Real Life
by Julian Larnach
Darlinghurst Theatre Company
Eternity Playhouse 2017
Director Luke Rogers
Designer Georgia Hopkins
Lighting Designer Sian James-Holland
Sound Designer James Brown
Stage Manager Ryan Tate
Cast
Anni Finsterer
Elizabeth Nabben
Photography Phil Erbacher
World Premiere
In Real Life offers an unnerving portrait of our digital lives, a cautionary tale about our rapidly changing world where technology has pushed us beyond our moral compass and is rapidly breaking down societal norms.
In the not too distant future, Theresa is the CEO of a global digital company and inventor of the Drum, the world’s most popular personal device. One evening she argues with her daughter who walks out of their secluded holiday retreat and vanishes without a trace.
Theresa yearns for answers to her daughter’s disappearance, and seeks solace for her grief via social media and online. Desperate to reconnect, she attempts to use technology to bridge the gap between the digital world and real life.
In Real Life explores and questions the impact of new technologies on human relationships, many of which are already upon us and inevitable, such as our digital footprint, artificial intelligence, the digital afterlife and cloning.
In Real Life was a Darlinghurst Theatre Company production.
The creative development of In Real Life was supported through the Rex Cramphorn Studio's Artists-in-Residence Program, in the Theatre & Performance Studies department at the University of Sydney.
This project has also received support through Griffin Theatre Company’s Studio Program.
★★★★ "If you like Black Mirror – and worry about technology – you'll enjoy this new Australian play… In Real Life has genuine depth... solidly structured, tense, and appealingly, casually contemporary."
– Time Out
"a brilliant psychological thriller... Directed by Luke Rogers who beautifully crafts its elements of dark and light, the absurd and the heartfelt, with sensitivity and dynamism... this is a thought provoking and thoroughly entertaining show."
– Daily Review
”Powerhouse performances propel Luke Rogers' production into a compulsively watchable experience... In Real Life is live theatre as it should be – heart rending and thought provoking."
– Australian Stage
“Smart and suitably disorientating”
– Jason Blake
"In Real Life is spot on with its relevance to our rapidly changing world and appeals to a wide-ranging audience. It’s emotional, raw and touching... an entertaining psychological thriller...and features a talented female duo of AFI award winning Anni Finsterer and Elizabeth Nabben."
– Alt Media
“Well-crafted and highly intelligent. It’s a joy to watch – not just because of the superb performances of Anni Finsterer and Elizabeth Nabben but also on Georgia Hopkins' stunning set that is enhanced by Sian James-Holland's evocative lighting and James Brown's sound. Luke Rogers does a wonderful job with Julian Larnach's tight, witty script.”
– Lisa Thatcher
"Astute and inventive… Luke Rogers’ direction is strong… This is an enjoyable play with some interesting things to say about technology, ourselves and the future with an entertaining and poignant story...thoroughly enjoyed."
– Theatre Now
