Tony's stash of textual information

In general, it was about the human stories behind the Fossil Fuel industry – also known as Energy and Petrochemical Industry. For example, how do the employees in the industry feel, on the ground? What kind of families do they come from?

It adds a deliberate depth to the shocking scientific data in news headlines – “unprecedented times” – and acknowledges the harm of online “cancel culture” that villainises the industry workers all-too-eagerly.

The play was set up as a play-in-a-play.

The main character is a playwright who is gathering information for a play about fossil fuels. Interviewing, interrogating.

As the play unfolds over time – and as the interview-in-a-play develops – a messy web of relationships between the interviewer and her subjects unravels. It turns out that some are university room-mates from the interviewer's past, while others are a godmother who has juicy gossip about the interviewer's mother's romances, and so on.

It invites the question: how much of the fictitious playwright is based on the “real life” playwright?

On the whole, I view this play favourably because it is timely and compassionate.

If I must point out a flaw, I would note that one scene felt jarring for me. It featured two women on their respective phones, one is crying or sobbing angrily, while the other is celebrating proudly.

It might have worked as a split-screen shot in a cinema film, but on the stage, the crying actress had a direct influence on the emotions of the celebrating actress, who was just standing next to her. That muddied and blurred the “dividing line” for me. And diluted the celebration, so to speak. It might have seemed a good idea as a concept, but the execution proved otherwise.

But it's a minor hiccup in an otherwise impactful performance.

Here is a hyperlink to the e-programme booklet from tonight:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cPo2dGMX6tFzpX82Lq1FF3bI-6sXxX5O/view