Synopsis
The Nether is a virtual wonderland that provides total sensory immersion. Just log in, choose an identity and indulge your every desire. But when a young detective uncovers a disturbing brand of entertainment, she triggers an interrogation into the darkest corners of the imagination. Winner of the 2012 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, The Nether is both a serpentine crime drama and haunting sci-fi thriller that explores the consequences of living out our private dreams. Contains Graphic Description of Violence and Exploitation of Minors.
The Plot
The play is set in the near future. The internet has evolved into the Nether, a vast network of virtual reality realms. Users may log in, choose an identity, and indulge any desire. When Detective Morris investigates a realm called The Hideaway where pedophiles may live out their fantasies involving children, she brings its creator in for interrogation. They discover they have made emotional attachments in his realm that blind them to the greater questions of ethical behavior, both in the imagination and the outside world.
Director’s Note
As I delve into Jennifer Haley’s haunting and deeply unsettling play, I am struck by the way it lays bare the darkest corners of the human psyche. The Nether is a world of meticulous control and elegance, but beneath the perfect facade lurks a horror beyond comprehension.
It has made me ponder upon two eminent themes of the play; whether Love could in fact be the strongest force known to humankind? And should the meaning of the word ‘consequence’ have meant something as simple as just a sequence of events? Has the unpredictable nature of our beings forced us to give it meaning? What is it about the word ‘consequence’ that dominates us into becoming who we are?
My challenge is to be able to compliment Haley’s compelling text by drawing the audience into the immersive world of the Nether, to create the allure of its promise and the chill of its ultimate revelation. The one that a reader immediately feels upon reading The Nether. Visualizing this has been an exercise, tuning into my imagination’s deepest corners as through the text, the play’s design unassumingly evokes an artificiality that hints at an unnatural rift beneath its surface. As the play progresses, the seams of a perfect world begin to fray, revealing the rot of desire and complicity that binds the characters together.
The characters are both captivating and terrifying, and their perfect beings mask a monstrous longing within. Here’s where I believe Haley stands with a mirror to society. Control and submission, desire and disgust create a tightrope walk for an actor, between enchantment and repulsion. The rehearsal process will focus on building a deep sense of ensemble, through multiple workshops and a residency for the actors to delve into the complex motivations and backstories that drive their characters’ actions. The Nether challenges us to confront the darkest possibilities of our own desires, and the horrifying directions our technology-driven culture may be heading in. It is a play that shakes and disturbs us, forcing us to question the true cost of our longing for escape and control. And then there’s that force we call Love.
About the Playwright – Jennifer Haley
Jennifer Haley is an American playwright. The Nether, which premiered with Center Theatre Group at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles and won the Ovation Award for Best New Play. The Nether was produced Off-Broadway by MCC Theater and in London by Headlong Theatre and the Royal Court Theatre, transferring with Sonia Friedman Productions to the West End at the Duke of York Theatre. The Nether has since been produced in 28 countries and translated into 19 languages, and is currently running at the Berliner Ensemble. Other plays include Neighbourhood 3: Requisition of Doom, a horror story about suburbia and video games, and Froggy, a noir thriller with interactive media. Jennifer has developed work at the Humana Festival of New Plays, The Banff Centre, Sundance Theatre Lab, and the O’Neill Playwrights’ Conference.
