Polly and Owen are wildly in love, ready to conquer all of life's challenges.
That is until a new form of wearable technology called the 'black box' threatens to destroy all of what they know and love. Reality and fantasy are intertwined as lines are blurred and a wedge is driven between Polly and Owen, who are forced to question what they believe in.
Here, Director Claudia Barrie answers some questions about the production.
Obviously technology essentially rules the world right now. Why do you think people are so drawn to it?
I think our society is structured in a way which makes it almost impossible to function without it to be completely honest. A vast majority of people's careers alone require heavy use of it. And on a personal level it is how we stay in touch with one another. So it makes sense that people have become more and more dependent. We have gotten used to the quick fix with things and technology serves that beautifully.
In your role as director, what have you done in order to really heighten that sense of intrusiveness that technology brings?
We are about to go into rehearsal so it has really been working with my design team which has allowed for the beginnings of this feeling. We have created a design which reflects that intrusiveness but I can’t give much more away at this stage.
Director, Claudia Barrie
Why did you get involved with this show?
I was approached about this show by the National Theatre of Parramatta. I was interested in working with them as well as exploring a play that is a little different to some of the more recent work I have done.
Did you have any perceptions about it that have changed since getting into the directing?
I discover more and more each time I go back to the text and I am looking forward to opening things up with the actors over the next couple of weeks of course. At first I saw it as a technology play but I have become more and more interested in the psychological, physical and emotional impact of addiction and how it is tied into the story.
How do you hope audiences react to the work?
I hope they will see the story on a couple of levels. How technology impacts our lives but also how the dependence on something can destroy a person and their relationships.
And what advice would you give a young person discovering the world of technology/the internet?
Step carefully.
