Has the mobile phone robbed us of part of ourselves?
That’s the question posed by this new interactive show by Hannah Walker and Chris Thorpe, premiering at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival as part of the Writers’ Centre Norwich’s contribution to the event.
The audience is encouraged to keep their phones on, and text messages and calls interrupt the show as the two hosts mix poetry, conversation and occasional sound clips.
The lyricism of the show is enticing, perhaps more so than the over-arching conceit that technology has separated us from ourselves; deprived of the chance to be alone we are limited in our ability to appreciate togetherness.
The phone instead has helped us connect even more with each – as witnessed by the audience’s devices errupting through the show.
Still, this is a thought-provoking and entertaining piece, with a strong creative core that helps connect the audience – both electronically and in person.
