We’re inundated with data continually, our electronic devices one click away from the latest friend request, news story or glossy photo, amongst a plethora of other things. A couple of decades into our ‘Information Age’ whereby social media is now our main means of communicating and connecting with loved ones as well as forming new bonds and we’re now really starting to see the impact of this ever evolving phenomena and its prevalence within the day to day. An exploration of the darker aspects of social media – the instant fame that comes from going viral, the trolling and cyber bullying that comes from this and the need for better mental health precautions, writer Susan Momoko Hingley and Honey-Tongued Theatre Productions present Petal.
An important time for highlighting the stories of the often underrepresented, as the industry emerges post pandemic, we’re witnessing more of these take to our stages. Debuting at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe to sold out audiences, Tokyo Rose tells the real-life story of American radio broadcaster Iva Ikuko Toguri D’Aquino, the show’s title, the nickname given to female broadcasters believed to have been spreading propaganda to the Allied Forces during WWII – of which Iva was wrongly accused. Two years after the show’s initial run, Tokyo Rose returns, starting off at the MAST Mayflower Studios before going on tour. Co-written by Maryhee Yoon and Cara Baldwin, the pair have re-worked the show into a two act, full length format. Ahead of tour, co-writer Maryhee tells us more about what inspired the team to explore the narrative further, how she’s worked with Cara to realise the show and what she’s taken away from the process.