INCOGNITO MODE: A PLAY ABOUT PORN - STUDIO 58 AND NEW WORLD

Emily Cooper photographer - click, scroll, fumble, this, reach

Incognito Mode is a play about porn and its societal context. Put on by the student actors of Langara’s Studio 58, Incognito Mode: A Play About Porn explores how technology and pornography interact and shape the lives of young people who have grown up with largely unfettered access to both. Beyond being an edgy but engaging play, it is part of a collaborative and interdisciplinary initiative that spans several post-secondary institutions. 

The play is part of IMPACTS, a project aimed at addressing sexual assault on post-secondary campuses, and definitely warrants a trigger warning for descriptions of sexual assault and discussions of sexual violence. A lot of the discussion about pornography is informed by existing research and a research workshop lead by Stuart Poyntz, an Associate Dean and Associate Professor at Simon Fraser University, and Ruth Beer, Professor and Assistant Dean at Emily Carr University and featuring the students of Langara College Studio 58.

The plot of Incognito Mode follows a group of friends from high school who enjoy talking about porn at parties and making Harry Potter references. There are artistic asides that look more closely at how exposure to porn has impacted their perception of sexuality as well as a charming musical number featuring oversized genital costumes. This might all sound a little bit cheesy, but the acting, writing, and direction were are skilled and nuanced enough to make it an emotional and thought-provoking show. 
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There were some really creative elements. A seemingly very authentic pre-recorded reaction clip of one of the actors is played halfway through, briefly blurring the line between character and actor. I also really enjoyed the lighting and music before the start of the show. With a mostly dark stage, some intense spot lights, and music playing loudly enough to make the floor vibrate with the bass, it felt like walking into a house party or night club.

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L to R - Moe Golkar as Jason, Ella Storey as Jasmine, Julia Munčs as Amy and Solomon Rise as Mike - Emily Cooper photographer

Incognito Mode: A Play About Porn, coproduced by New World Theatre and Langara's Studio 58, is playing at Studio 58 from 29 Sep to 14 Oct.

​Tickets at: https://langara.ca/studio-58/current-season/index.html

Other useful links:
http://neworldtheatre.com/
https://www.mcgill.ca/definetheline/impacts

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~ reviewed by Sunny Tchoukova