Too bad you missed the Saturday night world premiere of “The Friend Request – Please Unfriend Me.” Tim Burks, local amateur playwright by night, and professional software entrepreneur by day and night, also produced the lavish Los Altos theatre production. The play is a funny social commentary on the effects of Facebook social sharing on teens, their schools, and their families.
The Plot Line
Amanda tells her best friend Lori that ever since she accepted a friend request from a guy “whose name is all consonants,” all her innermost thoughts are being posted to her Facebook timeline just as she is thinking them. You can imagine how embarrassing this could be. And how lots of friends and relatives could learn what you really think –when you are having those snarky, selfish or inappropriate feelings.
From the left, character Amanda unloads to her friend Lori, about the stresses of having her innermost thoughts posted to Facebook by a mysterious hacker-virus
Your Innermost Thoughts As You Think Them
What’s worse is that everyone Amanda knows − friends, family and teachers − check their smart devices ALL the time for that constant feed of FB posts. So when Amanda enters a real room with real people in “meatspace,” they are reacting to her innermost thoughts which they’ve just read on their phones. Audience laughter ensues.
For example, when Amanda is introduced in “meatspace” to Chad, a friend’s older brother who might offer tech support in getting rid of the Facebook hacker/virus, Chad learns from checking his smartphone that Amanda think’s he’s “sooooo cute.” This really changes the boy-meets-girl dialog!
Musical Interludes punctuate the funny dialog of “the friend request, please unfriend me”
Musical Interludes
The dramatic action is punctuated with several musical asides. The lyrics of a live rock band amplify the dramatic dialog − for example with the sweet, plaintive, and ironic “Nobody Knows Me.” Actually by this time in the action, everybody knows everything about Amanda. So philosophically, does this mean that getting rid of that morose “nobody knows me” feeling is a good thing?
The Birds and the Bees and the Privacies
Amanda’s dad is played by Jim Fenton, local amateur thespian by night, and professional software security expert by day and night (and Los Altos BPAC commissioner). Amanda’s mom and dad agree, he needs to have a little chat with Amanda about her posting behavior and her Facebook settings – ‘the birds and bees and the privacies.”
Dad, played by Jim Fenton, and Mom, played by Gloria Wallen Mendez, discuss what to do about Amanda’s Facebook situation
A Visit to the Facebook Campus – Zuckerberg and Sandberg
In desperation, as her social relations become strained, she goes in person to the Facebook campus seeking technical support. But it’s the weekend, so the only staff on duty she finds are No. 1 Mark Zuckerberg and No. 2 Sheryl Sandberg. She explains that all her thoughts appear on her timeline as she thinks them, sort of like Spotify. [This is an online music listening service that simultaneously posts the song title you’re listening to onto your Facebook timeline.] She complains to Mark and Sheryl that she can’t delete the new friend or the delete the hacked posts on her timeline. Mark and Sheryl say they aren’t technical enough to help her with her hacked account. But Amanda’s reference to Spotify inspires Mark and Sheryl to put a new product feature on the Facebook technical roadmap – Thoughtify! Copycat opportunists … or real geniuses, you decide.
From left. Sheryl Sandberg is played by Julie Hart Conde. Andrew Cliker plays Mark Zuckerberg. Rebecca Burks is Amanda.
Celebs and a Geek-o-meter
Next week at school, her friends report receiving unusual friend requests – like from Taylor Swift and Jude Law. [Ha, ha, like these celebs would ever send mere mortals a friend request. You don’t know all these celebs? Go Google it. Does it mean the hack attempts, the “virus” is spreading.?] Amanda’s friends are wise – they say they don’t click on the friend request button from an unknown person, possible imposter, phisher or bot! Neither should you. But when one friend announces that Julian Assange has sent him a friend request, the unanimous response of the others is, “Who?” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Assange).
Play within a play – Star of Wonder Star of Light – Tim Burks’ play, “the friend request, please unfriend me”
Play within a Play – Nativity Celebration for Psychic Relief
As the holiday season approaches, Amanda seeks distraction from the strain of adjusting to her oversharing predicament by attending a splendid nativity reenactment. A local rock band provides Christmas carol back-up – featuring the appropriate “We Three Kings of Orient Are – the Quest of the Magi.”
Nativity Reenactment play within a play Tim Burks’ the friend request, please unfriend me
FINAL SCENE –Reporting Merry Christmas Gifts Received
– My favs, an Apple iPhone 5
In the final scene at school, Amanda’s crowd talks about what they got for Christmas. Amanda says she has had the best Christmas presents ever – everyone knew just what she wanted!!! From her Facebook timeline.
Her best friend Lori is gushing about getting an iPhone 5. Loris admits cheerfully that last night she got a friend request from a guy whose “last name was all consonants.” She clicked it. Amanda responds, “Yes I know. I read it all on your timeline.” Audience nervous laughter ensues. THE END
THE END – The whole cast takes a bow – curtain call for Tim Burks’ ” the friend request, please unfriend me”
LALAHPOLITICO COMMENT:
What a fun creative romp. This concept and storyline could be a TV show, a movie. At the very least the play may deserve more staging locally. The Los Altos Bus Barn or the Youth Theatre could be interested. We hope at least some of the cast and musicians could be part of any local ensemble performing a new production of this one night only premiere.
The whole cast was great – from the leading roles to the nativity star. We want to give special recognition to Rebecca Burks playing Amanda, and Julia Shaver, playing Amanda’s best friend Lori, Andrew Cliker playing Facebook No. 1 Mark Zuckerberg and Julie Hart Conde, playing Facebook No. 2 Sheryl Sandberg. (Ms. Hart Conde also directed this production.)
Many thanks to Los Altos Presbyterian Union Church, Pastor David Moore, and other church staff and members for hosting the play
Script Doctor − Gloves Off
Is this supposed to be a European play with its ambiguous ending and vague value judgments.? Us ‘merkuns want to know where the playwright stands. We want to be told what to think. Is Facebook good or bad? What about Apple? Are they negligent in building phones and software that lull people into dangerous sharing behavior. Or are only dumb people attracted to Apple products? They deserve what they get, or what?
A serious lacuna – where is the rescue, where is the happy ending? Or was this a happy ending- a world of perfect, frictionless sharing? Most Americans will find the ending lacks clear resolution. Tell me who won. Tell me how it was fixed. How about adding another character to the play − namely, Google No. 1 Sergey Brin, who could provide a thrilling rescue by personally helping Amanda and her pals convert from from Facebook to Google + with hangouts. Much better control of your personal data there! Preferably on an Android phone!
Final suggestion – any play is enhanced with zombies! Please add a few.
