Playground Productions: Dis-connect.com

Disconnect cast and crew.

These days, online dating is a common practise, but can two people really get to know each other without connecting face-to-face? Theatremakers Nicole Bergot and Sangeeta Wylie explore this idea in their new play Dis-connect.com, a story about two busy people looking for love in the digital age. The cast and crew are staging a workshop production of the piece for three nights only (May 2 to 4) at the Winchester Kitchen & Bar, and audiences are invited to give their feedback. We caught up with Bergot and Wylie to find out more.

Theatromania: Tell us about Dis-connect.com, what inspired this play?

NB & SW: Dis-connect.com is about two people who have put careers before romance, until they finally decide to pursue love, and they look for it online. When our characters believe they have found it, they build their relationship using various social media as the foundation, without ever meeting in person.

The inspiration came from our own personal experience, and that of our friends, who have begun to substitute real life, in person relationships with interactions that take place digitally. It is common to see two people sitting in a restaurant texting and checking email, while barely talking to each other, or five people in a coffee shop on their laptops, sitting by themselves, headphones on, oblivious to the world around them. We were struck by a particular kind of irony in how we often we choose social settings, only to engage with our screens and phones.

We wrote a play about two characters who struggle with face-to-face interactions when it comes to love, in a situation where they could find 'love' online.  What sort of freedom might this give them, and what would happen when they finally meet in person? Are the relationships that exist in the digital sphere as valid as actual human interaction? We don’t know the answers, but we thought it would be a fun topic to explore on the stage!

Theatromania: How would you describe the production in a sentence or two?

NB & SW: The production is an hour-long, four-person play that takes place in four separate settings. It is a comedy about two people who yearn for a human connection, and, ironically, find it online.

Theatromania: The audience is invited to be part of the creative process by participating in a talk-back after the show. What do you hope to learn from them?

NB & SW: We invite the audience to share their critical feedback with us about what worked and what they would like to see done differently. We want to know if we successfully added to the conversation about how social media affects our relationships.

Theatromania: Will you be mounting a full production after the workshop?

NB & SW: That’s the plan, and that is why we are really open to receiving feedback from our audience. Look for this play again in the fall!

Catch the workshop production of Dis-connect.com from May 2 to 4 at the Winchester Kitchen & Bar (51 A Winchester Street). Visit disconnectdotcom.com for more information.