SALT LAKE CITY — On July 27th, I saw I’ve Decided To Become A Digital Pet at the Salt Lake Fringe Festival. It’s a very short, fifteen minute, one man play, and honestly, it’s fantastic. The script is written by John Wesley Sandorf, and follows Justin, starting at the age of seven, who learns that his classmates called him “weird Justin” behind his back, and threw a party when they learned he was leaving. The play is about the loneliness and ostracization Justin experiences from elementary through high school (and a bit beyond).
The story is told through the use of props – Justin has a box of toys that act as the various characters. He is represented as a brown teddy bear, while his mom is a kangaroo. There are lot of sad moments, such as when in seventh grade Justin gets teased by a classmate for having a Tamagotchi (a toy he has been receiving for his birthday since he was seven), which balances out the more humorous moments such as when the doctor tells his mom that Justin has depression, and she replies, “I know.”
There is some audience participation where Justin gives someone a script to read the lines as the Tamagotchi during the dream sequences. Eventually, Justin learns that people can upload their consciousness into fictional properties, like Mario Kart, and he decides to become a digital pet.
Because the play is so short, there are no technical components to utilize – the lighting never changes, there are no sound effects, costume or set changes. This is easy to overlook because Sandorf is so much fun to watch, and the play is only fifteen minutes.
I’ve Decided To Become A Digital Pet is also relevant. There aren’t many stories about loneliness that don’t center 21st century internet addiction. It’s very funny and worth a watch.
These reviews are made possible by a grant from the Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts, and Parks program.
