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Regional Reviews: Phoenix Occupational Hazards Also see Gil's review of The Notebook
The plot focuses on four co-workers at Friendlist, a Facebook type of large internet media company that has its fingers in hundreds of other websites and apps, where new employee Dana meets group leader Jamie and her fellow workers Terry and Alex. However, we quickly learn that the names they use aren't their real ones, as they need to maintain their anonymity. When Dana asks about her job duties as a Customer Engagement Specialist, the group informs her that they are actually professional, well-paid internet trolls who work for PearlCorp, a subsidiary of Friendlist, and that they are responsible for over 80% of all negative comments on the company's sites. Their main job is to bring people together by any means necessary by the comments they post, as more clicks and more time engaged on the site equals more ad dollars. They add that writing a really good comment is like a drug that comes not only with satisfaction but a rush, as well as huge salaries and bonuses if they meet their quotas. However, when group leader Jamie mentions that the doors are locked and that she'd have to kill Dana if she tried to leave, something Dana failed to grasp in the fine print of her employment contract, Dana feels like she's being pranked until she quickly realizes she isn't. Evans' play is a sharply satirical workplace comedy that explores how social media can warp our sense of self and slowly erode our well-being. At its core, it also examines the extreme lengths people will go to for their careers, questioning how much of their integrity they're willing to sacrifice in pursuit of success and what moral lines they might cross when the reward feels big enough. Evans' dialogue and characters feel authentic, even if the events and business environments depicted may not actually be real, and the plotting and pacing does an excellent job of pulling us into the plot by using Dana's new employee experience to reveal the true inner workings of the company. It's an intriguing work that will make you think, and while a few of the plot elements aren't entirely tied up, it's ultimately a very satisfying drama. Under BJ Garrett's perceptive direction, the entire cast shines. As Jamie, the group leader, Carrie Ellen Jones does an excellent job depicting the internal conflict of her character when some facts are revealed about the result of some of the social media comments she has made. Sarafina Starling is equally as good as Dana, allowing us to see how someone can be turned off by what the company's expectations are while also being interested in the benefits and rewards the job provides. In supporting roles, Amy Garland and Marcella Grassa are great as the wise-cracking Terry and the astute Alex. All four actresses work well together to depict authentic performances and work relationships. Garrett's set design, with contributions from the prop designs of Garrett, Bob Peters, and Carrie Ellen Jones, depicts a realistic work environment, with desktop work stations and a coffee station that plays an important role in the play; the not exactly inspirational posters on the wall are a humorous touch. Kim Porter's costumes, hair, and makeup are character appropriate, and the lighting by John Perovich and Ashley Naftule's sound design work well to provide both an authentic as well as slightly unnatural feel to the setting that ties perfectly into the play. Rob Evans' darkly comic Occupational Hazards lands with bite and resonance, delivering a unique exploration of ambition where social media success comes at a steep personal cost. With a great cast and firm direction, Space 55's production delivers a bold, unsettling, and ultimately compelling piece of theatre that will make you think about how much you'd be willing to compromise to get ahead while also making you slightly uncomfortable about what is possibly really going on in the inner workings of the world wide web. Space 55's Occupational Hazards runs through April 26, 2026, at Metro Arts, 1700 N. 7th Ave, Phoenix AZ. For tickets and information, please visit Space55.org. Written by Rob Evans Cast:
Jamie: Carrie Ellen Jones |
