Unity Youth Theatre looks at life on the web

The internet and reliance on social media has revolutionised modern-day life – but is it always a good thing?

Young theatre-makers at the Unity are considering that question in a newly-devised production due to be staged at the Hope Street venue this month.

The Uncomfortability of a Made Up Wor(l)d questions the alternate realities that we create for ourselves online, and takes the trend of constant uploading, sharing and 'liking' to frightening new heights.

Developing the play from scratch has allowed the 14 to 18-year-olds - an age group sometimes branded tech-obsessed and addicted to screens – to share their own views on technology’s effects on society, and their fears about the dangerous territory which could lie ahead. Unity Youth Theatre director Carl Cockram says: “As an age group, teenagers are often criticised of being over-reliant on technology to the detriment of their offline lives – something that was keenly felt by these young people.

“In the early stages of development, over-use of social media and the inability to escape living online emerged as key themes.

“The play is an opportunity for them to share their thoughts and fears on the growing influence of technology, and our response to it as a society.

“For audiences, it’s a chance to plunge into a bold new world, explore some of the most interesting issues facing us today, with the young people for whom technology is a way of life.”

The Uncomfortability of a Made Up Wor(l)d is at the Unity Theatre on July 27-28. Tickets from the website HERE