Written and performed by Ella Hällgren and directed by Emma Ruse, r/Conspiracy is a one-person show that follows Alex, a young woman who falls into a rabbit hole on Reddit and attempts to unravel the mystery of her town’s local machete man (or men) – and perhaps bites off more than she can chew.
r/Conspiracy is a less didactic show than one might have expected given its title and subject matter, and therein lies much of its power. Rather than moralise about the dangers of the internet directly, it allows the powerful storytelling to do the work, highlighting how Alex is pulled into several dangerous situations as she becomes more and more invested in the mystery taking place. By trusting the audience to infer for themselves that the decisions Alex is making are to her detriment, the narrative is allowed to take centre stage and for the audience to become invested in what they are being told.
Hällgren is a very engaging performer, successfully holding her audience’s attention for the show’s full hour in what is essentially a monologue. Her words and movements are precise and well-rehearsed and there are some moments of both humour and self-deprecation as well as real tension, particularly as the danger increases.
The Ruby venue at Appleton Tower has a small stage, which makes it a good performance space for this one-person show (though if you are sitting further back it is sometimes difficult to see what is taking place onstage, especially if the actor is seated). The sets are well done, suggesting both a dark forest and the intrusive technology that permeates Alex’s life and narrative. The lighting design also enhances the settings and reflects Alex’s emotional state in a way that enriches the storytelling taking place. In addition, the sound design is also worthy of note as it reflects the buzz Alex gets from engaging in conspiracy content as well as building the atmosphere and tension needed for each scene, with Rebecca Wilkie as the seductive voice of the internet luring Alex back into the online world.
r/Conspiracy is a brilliant piece of new writing and a great way to spend an hour at the Fringe allowing yourself to be caught up in the story being told by a talented performer supported by a capable production team. I wish them the best for the remainder of their run.
