Networks

M is the most useful assistant you will ever meet. He’ll organise your diary, your new job, even your sex life. There’s just one catch: once M enters your life, he never leaves. And he wants to know absolutely everything about you. M is the smartphone we all carry in our pockets: an object that allows the world’s biggest companies to track our every move and make billions from our data; an object we spend more and more time with, often even more than with those closest to us. In 2026, for young professionals like Lucy and Sam, this is the price of living. But their parents, Joe and DeeDee, have had enough of this dubious bargain. They decide to confront the influence of modern technology and forge their own surprising path through life. Jeff James says: “When I first read Kate Atwell’s witty and biting satire about our toxic relationship with smartphones, what makes it so powerful is that the play clearly says what we all feel but don’t dare say out loud. We are becoming increasingly dependent on these technologies, and they demand an ever-higher price. With dark comedy and the precision of a scalpel, Kate’s play analyses how we live today. I’m delighted to bring this topical and very witty production to Valmiera for its European premiere.”