- Director Tasmin Anthonisz on immersive theatre and the themes explored in the play
Social media has redefined the way we form and maintain connections with each other, and today, a large portion of our interactions are carried out online. Given the central role played by social media in our lives, productions like Chatroom, a play by Enda Walsh, not only present an interesting take of this world we are a part of, but also explore important themes like cyberbullying and mental health.
Bringing the play to Colombo is Tasmin Anthonisz, a theatre practitioner focused primarily on directing and producing for her company, Studiolusion. She started working in theatre professionally almost straight out of school in 2011, as an actor for Floating Space’s production of The Gaza Mono-logues as well as a workshop facilitator for Mind Adventures on a few outreach projects.
“Both companies gave me a lot of insight into how theatre can be effectively used to comment on current and pressing issues in society, to hopefully inspire change and inspire people to make the world a little better for other people in whatever small way,” Anthonisz said, adding that working with Floating Space paved way for her to start working internationally with practitioners from Palestine and the US, as well as the other global representatives she got to connect with while performing for the Ashtar Theatre Company for Productions and Training in New York.
She went on to say: “It seems like an obvious statement, but I found that these ideals were often the point of connection between all of us there. It’s proven to be the same with almost every artist I’ve gotten to work with, while studying drama in Manchester in the UK, and after coming back home in 2015. These experiences helped shape a lot of my views on theatre, and of course gave me all of what I know and use in my current practices with Studiolusion, which I founded in 2017 as a performance lab to help young and emerging artists workshop and develop unorthodox performance ideas.”
When asked about Chatroom, Anthonisz said the play is about six teenagers who are strangers to each other but connect online and see how much they can influence each other. Chatroom is a psychological thriller, playing on a cynical sense of humour. Anthonisz said it is quite witty and cheeky, but also innocent, wholesome and cathartic in the end. “It’s like you fall into a sinkhole and come out clean on the other side.”
The themes deal with heavy topics like suicide, abandonment, depression, and emotional manipulation, presented through light language and mild swearing, typical of language common among teenagers.
The play was originally set to take the stage earlier this month, but was pushed back by a few weeks, because the fuel shortages made it impossible to hold rehearsals. Anthonisz said this was disheartening, but they decided to give themselves a little room to breathe.
In conversation with Brunch, Anthonisz went into detail about Chatroom by Enda Walsh, which will be staged from 29 to 31 July at the Lionel Wendt Art Centre, Colombo.
What drew you to the play?
It’s a play about words and manipulation. In this scenario, where you can’t see the person who’s talking to you, or who you’re talking to, there’s a certain level of freedom to say things you wouldn’t otherwise say because of social niceties. The barrier of the screen essentially takes away that barrier from the darker side of humanity.
I find it very interesting that Walsh started exploring that concept relatively early in the lifetime of the internet’s existence. I believe he started working on it in 2004 and it was performed for the first time in 2005. Over time it’s pretty evident that humanity has just become more desensitised to each other, specially the kids who’ve had to experience their teens in lockdown.
Conversely, I think people on the receiving end are more sensitive to what’s coming at them because the phone/laptop screen has become the “safe” way to connect with the outside. Plus, for the longest time we were conditioned to trust the written word; Because there’s a permanency about it, and because (if someone published it), it’s been approved and validated by someone.
Social media doesn’t have that process of course, which is what makes it so raw and chaotic, but careless words viewed in writing can be as profound to the reader as those well drafted novels. Of course there are tons of posts on social media about mental health awareness and cyberbullying, but nobody likes a moral lesson shoved down their throats, or into their heads rather. If you’re bored and you see something you don’t like, you scroll past. On the other hand, you see someone behaving badly or goofy or stupid, you want to know more. That’s human nature. Chatroom has all three. So it talks about mental health in a way that’s relatable and palatable, not so in your face.
How does immersive theatre differ from traditional theatre and what can the audience expect?
The way I see immersive theatre is theatre that makes you forget you’re watching a performance and sucks you into the world of the play. There isn’t a huge box separating the audience from the actors. As you walk in, you’re essentially entering a physical simulation of “virtual space”. Think art show, not proscenium play. I am playing on the idea of faceless strangers speaking at you from different corners of the dark web.
So throw out the usual assumptions or rules of theatre. There will be points where you hear voices and don’t see the speaker. That is the idea. Apart from that, I’d say expect to go on an emotional journey and come with an open mind.
Some of the themes of the play are cyberbullying and mental health. How relevant is Chatroom to present-day Sri Lanka?
Let me put it to you this way: When we started auditioning for the play last year, I asked each person who tried out why they were interested in being part of the show. Most of the 14- to 20-year-old auditionees said that they believed in the cause, or found the story very relatable, which wasn’t surprising. Instances of cyberbullying have skyrocketed since the start of the pandemic, and of course we are more aware now and willing to talk about mental health issues, whereas back when the play was written, nobody really spoke about things like depression and anxiety openly.
One response in particular though, from one of the youngest candidates, really brought home how real the subject is for present day adolescents; the auditionee recounted how at least eight out of 10 of their friend group had spoken up to each other about experiencing depression while in lockdown, and were relieved to find they weren’t alone in the group as they hadn’t felt confident about talking about their experience to anyone else before. The auditionee said most had also encountered haters on social media apps, which made them shy away from expressing themselves.
Just last month I heard a report of about a dozen students from a well-reputed school in Colombo being suspended for cyberbullying. Kudos to the school for taking the incident seriously, because it does matter. Lives can be completely ruined by careless, and sometimes even no-holds-barred, hateful statements made on the internet, and that doesn’t apply only to teenagers.
With everything that’s been going on in Sri Lanka these last few months, and all the frustration and anger we are all feeling, we’ve seen many Colombo-based Influencers coming under attack for being insensitive or just ignorant of what’s going on. And I understand that irritation too. But there is a line between expressing one’s personal frustrations with someone and maliciously attacking a stranger on a personal level online just to see them torn down. So, in answer to your question, how relevant is Chatroom to present day Sri Lanka, I say more than ever.
How have you adapted Walsh’s play to suit 2022 Colombo?
There are some references to British shops and TV shows which we’ve localised and updated for today’s audience. Apart from that, the script is being performed as written, or how I see the original text being performed anyway. The script itself is perfect for today’s Colombo because, along with the themes of cyberbullying and mental health, there is also this running narrative that questions the idea of relative freedom and power – whose voices are given authority to speak; who is allowed to call the shots in this apparently free space; who is listened to; and what does it take to be heard when the voices in control don’t listen? I think this is a story we can all relate to, so apart from the obvious cultural references, and the different theatre format, the play fits into today’s context quite naturally.
Chatroom revolves around six teenagers. What does the cast look like and how well does each member suit the character they play?
They are a fairly good-looking bunch of 17- to 20-year-olds. The original play specifies that they are supposed to be 15, but in this age of catfish and filters, the fact that they are not enhances the idea that you don’t really know who you’re talking to within the online space.
We have a dual cast running this time round, with Nismath Thasleem and Niven Nanayakkara both playing William for alternate performances, Hajarah Faleel and Tahsha De Silva alternating between Laura and Eva, Niven and Akmal Hamid alternating Jim, Akmal and Murthaaz Barry alternating Jack, and Janice de Costa remaining constant as Emily.
They each have their own take on their respective characters, and some may physically seem like an unorthodox choice. In terms of the acting though, every single cast member delivers a stellar performance. It’s very realistic, very natural, with minimal artifice, and absolutely believable.
How has it been working with the cast? Have you worked with them before?
A privilege. I have been working with five of the seven on Chatroom since last year, and a few of them I did have the pleasure of coaching for Shakes’ last year and the two years before. I’m grateful that they’ve all managed to stick with the production from the time they joined it, despite lockdowns and the pandemic, inconsistent exam schedules, and now this current fuel crisis and the rising cost of transportation. It gives me hope to know that there are young artists who take drama as seriously as I did when I was their age. They are simply legends, and without their dedication this show would not be happening.
