We Are Anonymous: The Foibles Of Hacking Laid Uncomfortably Bare… – Adelaide Fringe Review

Adelaide Botanic Garden – Noel Lothian Hall, Sun 4 Mar. We Are Anonymous has been written about the modern phenomenon of Anonymous – the hacktivist group. The recent Australian Census is the main feature event, cleverly written into the script. The human interplays of power, leadership, and trust, or lack thereof, laid out bare on the stage. This greatly undermines the hacktivist’s idea of fresh beginnings. But it helps provide additional depth as the group meets in an online chat room (on the stage in front of us) and is picked off one by one by a CIA mole. There are more characters than required to tell this story on the stage, therefore we have less time/dialogue to get to know and find empathy with any of the particular characters. At times there were some odd sounds featured, I think I was the only person in the audience old enough to recognise a dial-up modem connecting! There are some good stage devices to mimic the chatroom meeting; the miming of typing, operating touch screens etc. and the masks were colourful and expressive of the characters at play. The judicious use of AV, in particular the archival footage of George Brandis trying to play ignorant about what metadata actually means, adds plenty of meaning to the group’s rationale and goals. In the end we’re left uncomfortable – uncomfortable with the government and the spooks, uncomfortable with the folks in this sub-Branch of Anonymous for their weaknesses and humanity. Uncomfortable but satisfied in an existential way. 3.5 stars Clayton Werner We Are Anonymous continues at Adelaide Botanic Gardens – Noel Lothian Hall until Mon 13 Mar. Book at FringeTIX on 1300 621 255 or adelaidefringe.com.au. Click HERE to purchase your tickets. #ADLfringe