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HPU's theatrical production of 'Anti-Hero - Revenge of the Swifties' ran from Nov. 20-23.
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The production was staged under dramatic and often moody lighting.
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The production was staged under dramatic and often moody lighting.
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The production was staged under dramatic and often moody lighting.
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The production successfully captured tension and isolation of the digital age.
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The play is described as a darkly comedic and digitally charged production, written by playwright Derick Edgren Otero.
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The set of 'Anti-Hero - Revenge of the Swifties' at the HPU Theatre at Aloha Tower Marketplace.
HPU Theatre concluded its fall semester run with the darkly comedic and digitally charged production of Anti-Hero: Revenge of the Swifties, by playwright Derick Edgren Otero. The toxic intersection between impassioned fandom and professional criticism is explored within this play and asks: what happens when online obsession spills into real world consequences?
A dramatic scene from the play 'Anti-Hero - Revenge of the Swifties,' by playwright Derick Edgren Otero.
The production, staged under dramatic and often moody lighting, as captured in the striking photography, successfully captured tension and isolation of the digital age with a stage aesthetic that reflected cold intensity akin to an online confrontation. The production ran from Nov. 20-23 at the HPU Theatre at the Aloha Tower Marketplace.
When Fandom Turns Ferocious
The story centers around Cora, a driven and terrifyingly effective fourteen-year-old devotee of a pop superstar. When a prominent music critic dares to publish a scathing review of her idol's latest and most divisive album, Cora decides professional critique is grounds for full scale revenge.
It becomes a wildly escalating series of events as we watch Cora systematically harass the critic and his family into desperation to put in danger his family life, enough to make the critic almost retract the review. The line separating impassioned advocacy and digital abuse is cleverly mined in the play, which uses the energy of modern stan culture to fuel a genuinely dark comedy. Tension was often palpable, usually centered on the solitary figure under blinding blue light.
The cast approached the material with admirable commitment, bringing an emotional weight that helped balance the play's biting humor and dark themes. Using sharp dialogue and dramatic lighting, this was a great production for creating a palpable sense of digital dread.
The cast's final bow completed the successful run; with the tight ensemble connection it takes to pull off such a high-intensity contemporary work.
A Necessary Conversation for the HPU Community
Anti-Hero: Revenge of the Swifties is a play that will deeply resonate with the HPU community, especially students engaged in strategic communication, digital media, and media ethics. These themes of online harassment, media critique, and the power of a united digital movement mirror ideas very much relevant to today's communication context. While there were adult language and themes within the play, it serves as a necessary, cautionary, and darkly entertaining look at what transpires when the lines between fan, critic, and reality are violently erased.
Cast
Hannah Pockett as Cora
Benjamin Fricke as Scott
Arya Sarma as Bonnie
Luke Hinton as Malcom
Adelaide Lee as Magenta
Kaylee Bouwhuis as Jenna
Egypt Holland as Lauren
All photos by Maika Noyher Astacio Ocasio.
