Alana Deluty
Staff Writer
“I can only say what I want on a screen,” Roly Dávila proclaims. This quote summarizes the play “Interruptor,” performed last Thursday at Freedlander Theater and directed by Roberto Sánchez-Piérola and featuring Dávila and Jose Luis Urteaga of the Peruvian theater group Cuer2. “Interruptor,” a slightly abstract, minimalist piece, highlights society’s growing addiction to technology and constant immersion in networking devices.
It presents the story of two boys growing up in a technological era, and follows them to adulthood as their electronic obsessions change from videogames to PDAs. It’s a comedy with a message; it presents information lightheartedly, even featuring musical outtakes from “The Big Bang Theory,” “American Idol” and Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger,” as well as references to popular culture (notably, Kim Kardashian’s recent marriage), all while maintaining a decidedly sincere tone. The audience was laughing, but this was no shallow comedy. In its short runtime, “Interruptor” forces a lot of emotional weight on the audience. This play begs the question, “do we own computers, or do computers own us?”
The characters are initially fascinated with technology. Like our generation, they grew up with computers. Computers make tasks quicker and more efficient, and our increasing dependence on them has become an issue of public discussion. How many of us have become frustrated waiting seven seconds for a web page to load? Or felt anxious after not checking Facebook for a few hours? “Interruptor” explores the idea of computers taking on human roles and replacing human interaction.
The play begins with Dávila’s character talking to his computer as though it were a woman, while Urteaga begs him to stop. Urteaga says, “when I talk to you, I look at you,” and becomes frustrated when his friend cannot do the same. Ironically, a device that is designed for networking has succeeded in causing immense separation.
The play itself was not what I expected. Because the troupe does not travel with their own set, they use only what is provided for them. The back of the stage was draped with a tangled mass of multicolored cords; computer monitors, towers, and keyboards provided the only scenery. It is interesting that the director chose to present this play using a minimalistic style, as the play itself is about the maximalism of the world around us. Like Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town,” it is up to the audience to imagine things as needed. What the play lacked in amount of props and costumes, it made up for with impassioned acting. Though “Interruptor” was quite confusing in the beginning, as the actors constantly shift into different roles it gains coherency toward the middle of the play.
What’s the greatest irony in all of this? During the play, I could not help but think about how badly I wanted to check my email. When I talked to my friends after the show, they also suffered from that same “technological itching.” This obsession with communication devices has simply become a part of our culture. I was reminded of this weighty fact in a fun and enjoyable way. “Interruptor” is something anyone can appreciate, as it carries an important message that we can all take to heart.