We sat down for an exclusive interview with Alex Constantinidi, playwright behind Doomscroll Till I Die, and producer, Mathilda Parker-Craig, running at the Pleasance Theatre from 23-27th September. Tickets here.
The title alone is striking. What does “DOOMSCROLL TILL I DIE” mean to each of you, and how did it shape the show’s concept?
Alex: To me it encapsulates that feeling where you don’t stop scrolling. When being on your phone feels better than being present or alone with your thoughts. We wanted to create a world in which you feel like you are really inside your phone and experiencing all the obsession, beauty and chaos that comes with that.
Mathilda: When I first heard the title, it was like a slap in the face. Not to sound too dramatic but when I’m hooked into, what I’ve heard it be called, Valium-with-a-plug, it feels like I’m opting out of life. When fear, or simply the daily realisation that I’m alive and conscious land with a thud and I reach for the phone.
In an attempt to feel less, we undoubtedly end up feeling more, seeing things we’re not supposed to be seeing. Like in the Matrix, we don’t realise it is fake, until we unplug. Experiencing Doomscrolling on stage, an actually social media, is the trippy-metafictional-whiplash type commentary I love in theatre.
This is part of the new Opportunities for Actors Programme. How did the programme influence your approach to casting and developing new talent?
Alex: As this is our debut show, we wanted to choose acting graduates from the same year from the same drama school. This meant we started with an ensemble that was comfortable with each other which was really helpful for the short devising time frame (10 days!). We also tried to choose actors that had left school unrepresented and who we thought might benefit from the opportunity of being in a professional show.
Mathilda: When I left uni, I applied to dozens of jobs, each time being told that I didn’t have enough experience. I started producing shows and I realised it was much the same, or worse, for those in the arts. Getting booked straight after drama school is a huge win in the mental battle of a freelance artist. As Alex has said, forming a cast with existing chemistry was really important for the debut rendition. Having said that, we have exciting plans to expand casting to drama schools across London in future renditions; the more opportunities we can create the better.
What’s been the most surprising or challenging moment in bringing such an “episodic cabaret of crisis” to life on stage?
Alex: The time frame of 10 days has definitely been a challenge! However it’s been really fun piecing it all together in a kind of chaotic frenzy and quickly finding the best and simplest way to express everything; but honestly, the rehearsals have been an absolute joy.
Mathilda: I was in rehearsals this week, the energy, creativity and excitement you get from fresh graduates is electrifying. The devised-cabaret style performance works so well with the snappy short form online content it emulates.
The show promises outrageous comedy and shocking stories. Can you share a rehearsal or performance moment that perfectly captures that spirit?
Alex: I won’t say too much but there is a phenomenal lip-sync performance to Dean Town by Vulfpeck.
Mathilda: Listen to the song ^, then imagine the lipsync in your mind, then picture me cry-laughing in rehearsals. Even on the eighth time around.
For audiences who spend too much time doomscrolling themselves, what do you hope they’ll feel or rethink after experiencing this production?
Taking Doomscrolling out of the online context and putting it on the stage, only highlights the absurdity of our modern practices. One doesn’t create something out of the Doomscroll, but rather descends into it.
What would you create if you weren’t Doomscrolling?