Eunice is a shy loner at her high school but comes to life on her video blog, charismatically sharing her personal life with anyone on the internet. But she only gets a few views a day, if at all. When the popular student Jordan tries to coax Eunice into sexual acts during an online chat, she fights back by exposing his sexual harassment on her vlog. She is elated to see her viewership grow to hundreds, then thousands, but the comments are damning. The backlash against her exposing Jordan becomes vicious and hateful, sinking Eunice deeper into depression. Now she is standing on a chair with a leather-belt-noose hanging above her, and an audience before her. This is where the story begins.
Eunice needs the audience to help her decide her fate. Her communication with the audience – via real-time texting, messaging, and simply speaking – will influence whether she takes her own life or continues to live. A compassionate exploration into the consequences of bullying, "You Can Ask Me How I’m Doing" investigates the roles that social media and technology play in this double-edged crave for attention and cry for help. By interacting with the audience through direct address, video, smart phones, improvisation, ad-libbing, chance, and risk, this play disrupts theatre in a manner as urgent as these young people’s crisis.
Keywords: suicide, bullying, sexual harassment, depression, social media, teenagers, high school, multimedia, experimental
Year Printed: 2017
Acts: 1
Running Time: 55 Minutes
Male Cast: 3/4
Female Cast: 3/4