Here’s a theory about Theory, the Mosaic Theater Company production now playing at the Atlas Performing Arts Center: The of-the-moment, provocative techno-thriller is a must-see for anyone who’s ever had an internet-induced panic attack. Norman Yeung’s free-speech debate is part of the company’s “Stages of Awakening”—a.k.a. “get woke”—season, and director Victoria Murray Baatin masterfully tackles power dynamics, privilege, bias, and the tension between freedom of speech and oppression.
In Theory’s opening scene, Isabelle (the convincing Musa Gurnis), a young, white tenure-track professor, implores her first-year film theory students to rip up the university-mandated syllabus, which is heavy on “dead white dudes.” Is who they’re by even relevant if the films are masterpieces, one student wonders? “We gotta make room for new masterpieces,” Isabelle retorts. She favors films that examine racism, sexism, and classism: Cinema doesn’t exist in a vacuum, she argues, nudging her students toward queer, indigenous, and feminist choices.
A firestorm ignites among Isabelle’s 100-plus students when she informs them that they’ll discuss the topics raised in class on an unmoderated message board. (The cast of seven includes four students.) To encourage open discussion, the students can use screen names instead of their real names.
In theory, Isabelle reasons, the students ought to thank her for giving them the freedom to think and express themselves however they’d like. But in reality—well, to get a sense of how things are going to go on the board, consider the students’ screen names: BrosGottaBro. RydeACowboy. RevengeOfPizzaRat. Richard69. Quickly, the forum dissolves into a flurry of homophobic slurs and racial epithets, including some that take aim at Isabelle’s wife, Lee (Andrea Harris Smith), a black professor.
As the drama and tension escalate, the students rally to “cancel” their professor, threatening to file grievances against her with the dean. They feel attacked and unsafe; Isabelle is more interested in what they think than what they feel. She remains a free-speech absolutist, refusing to enlist a moderator, delete offensive posts, or shut down the board, even as one student begins stalking her, sending violent emails and texts.
Theory is labeled a thriller for a reason, of course. The plot builds toward a heart-racing climax as Isabelle’s stalker is revealed in the final, dramatic scene. Isabelle didn’t want to rob her class of the opportunity to be challenged or have critical conversations—but was her fight worth its cost? What’s more dangerous: interfering with students’ freedom to express themselves, or “making the ‘n word’ as welcome as hello,” as Lee puts it?
Throughout the play’s run, Mosaic will host a series of post-show discussions that explore, for example, public vs. private discourse; white savior complex; juggling intersectional privilege; and turning off the internet. Think of them as office hours for an audience that just audited an intense class—and prepare for a heated discussion, because Theory gets an A for stimulating difficult but important conversation.
Mosaic Theater Company’s Theory runs at the Atlas Performing Arts Center through Nov. 17. Runtime approximately 85 minutes with no intermission.
