Dances with Cell Phones explores the complex relationship between cell phones and society

The cast of Dances with Cell Phones promises that the show will be like none other. There will be drama. There will be dance. There will be generous audience participation. You are asked to bring your cell phone. And get this, you’ll be asked to keep your phone turned ON.

Dances with Cell Phones, the brainchild of Mark Hallen, professor of theatre, and Jake Miller, 2001 Eastern alumnus, has been written and created by the effort of the entire cast.

“All of the scenes are informed by real life observation,” Miller said.

Senior Kelly Hughes and junior Casey Bradstreet both said they are excited about the amount of cast unity that’s been present within the production.

The cast, broken into four “pods,” was sent out on specified missions to make real-life observations of people and their cell phones. These observations were brought back to the table, where the cast and directors together created the show’s scenes.

Hallen said a key scene is one in which a group of people are riding a commuter train. One individual is speaking on her cell phone. The scene humorously portrays the way in which the rest of the folks on the train cope.

“Helping to write the show has been a wonderful creative process,” Hughes said. “It wasn’t Mark and Jake coming in and saying, ‘This is what we have.'”

According to co-director, Jake Miller, Dances with Cell Phones is, “an exploration of human behavior and our relationship to cell phones in a relational, physical and social sense.”

Hughes said she believes that people will have a variety of reactions.

“They’ll definitely be more aware of cell phones,” she said.

The show seeks to entertain and at the same time open people’s eyes to the cultural phenomenon that is the cell phone.

“[The show] is self-reflective. It’s real life stuff. There are a lot of improv. spots,” Bradstreet said.

Miller agreed.

“As a society, we’re renegotiating our social contract, and the emergence of technology has created this,” Miller said. “We’re inviting ourselves and our audience to view [the cell phone] from both a fun and comical perspective, but also to look at it differently.”

Eastern student preview night- November 17 at 7pm, Nov. 18-19 at 7pm and Nov. 20 at 3pm.