We were welcomed at the Csiky Gergely Theatre in Kaposvár for the studio performance of Cyber Cyrano with the opening line: “We ask you to turn down the volume of your phones, BUT UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES PUT THEM AWAY…”
Young and old from our Community House — students, parents, friends, mentors, and volunteers — attended the performance, which tells a story of online harassment unfolding in a digital space, set in anything but traditional theatrical circumstances.
The young actors performed just an arm’s length away from us, surprising the audience with an exciting production. We were not only passive viewers; by stepping into roles ourselves, we actively thought through the events together.
The play carried an important message; to be honest, I myself felt somewhat misled by the protagonist. I especially liked the interactive nature of the performance, as the audience had to work together as one. There was no one in the room who had not been affected by similar experiences in some way, or had not witnessed them in their environment.
The digital world, especially with the anonymity it offers, creates endless opportunities for manipulation in place of open, personal communication.
“You’re so beautiful, so unsuspecting” — this is the final line of the play.
After seeing and experiencing it, we left the theatre on Saturday with important thoughts on how we can avoid similar situations and what level of responsibility we bear when we witness them.
Barnabás Radó, Kaposvár Group 2
