The daily dramedies that play out over social networks will be the topic of a work presented this weekend by the Department of Theatre and Speech at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
"Friendlings: A Mockumentary About Social Networking" is a mashup of live theater and video satirizing contemporary social interactions. The audience will "follow friends, friends of friends and defriended friends around Chattanooga" as well as "witness the triumphs and tragedies of texting, speed dating, facebooking, cyberbullying, defriending and other technological impediments to healthy social development," according to producers.
A "friendling," if you're not hip to the term, is defined by the Urban Dictionary as a friend of a friend that you click with straightaway.
According to publicity director Patrick Sweetman, the play is a "devised show" written by the cast during rehearsal.
In devised theater, he explained, the script originates not from a writer but from collaborative improvisatory work by the company. For "Friendlings," theater games were employed for ensemble building and for exploring aspects of the evolving work.
"As scenes emerged from improvisations," Sweetman said, "they were recorded and organized into scenes and eventually a complete script. Video sequences were created and filmed at several Chattanooga landmarks. Blogging was employed for brainstorming ideas and reflecting on the play-making process."
Laurie Melnik and Kim Wheetley from UTC's Southeast Center for Education in the Arts are directing the work.