Cacophony by Molly Taylor

Cacophony by Molly Taylor is a clever play that explores the impact that social media can have on lives, raising a young person to fame before tearing them back down again. It explores the consequences of public shaming through ‘tweets’ and how one little comment may not seem much but when teamed with other little comments it can become a cacophony of abuse. It is an enlightening play for all ages which highlights how your comments may impact others.

Molly Taylor has a clear vision of the play, which is why she has provided notes at the start that are specific about what she wants and what is flexible. Guidance on the language of the play is included, with details on what punctuation in the script means.

Right from the start of the play there is a sense of intrigue created with characters remembering when they first met Abi, and gradually disappearing from the space. This nonnaturalistic style captures your attention immediately, and, for me personally, made me want to experiment with directing the play. The stage directions at the start of each scene are descriptive and almost storytelling, making it easy to picture the scene and the characters.

The script switches between past and present cleverly, with the characters narrating the story in the present while acting out the scenario with Abi. This intriguing style of writing lends itself to exploration with students on how the form of language can be used in interesting and dynamic ways. There is an interesting range of characters within the script and each manage to have depth, so there is a lot to explore in terms of characterisation.

In terms of teaching, there are a few opportunities for some very nice monologues by Abi and Tash which are sensitive and have real potential to explore characterisation. While the play is non-naturalistic in style, the dialogue is often naturalistic, allowing for an actor to really consider objectives and the given circumstances. The ending was a surprise, with a twist I did not predict. While I am still not sure how I feel about the conclusion, it does allow for a full exploration into social media and its impact.