★★★★★
Staged in an intimate studio theatre, Louise Orwin has nowhere to hide, and nor does she try to, in her daring piece of performance art FAMEHUNGRY, where she attempts to operate on one of the most popular social media platforms in the world; TikTok.
Exposed, not just physically, but emotionally, is Orwin as she spills her guts (and strawberry Yazoo milkshake) not only onto a paying audience of strangers, but also to thousands of faceless online participants, putting herself in an incredibly vulnerable position during every show.
At the beginning of the piece, Orwin sets up a live TikTok stream, that we see projected onto a screen, that begins to accrue viewers in real time with Orwin stating how if she reaches 20,000 likes she will do something “amazing”. The viewing is intense and exciting as live theatre should be, as we do not know how the online viewers, or TikTok, are going to respond to her work.
This truly is postmodern, Fringe theatre at its finest. Orwin has been breaking boundaries and societal perceptions with her work for years, particularly when it comes to societal perceptions of the female body, and her new show FAMEHUNGRY certainly does not disappoint.
Made in collaboration with a real life 20-year-old TikToker Jax, Orwin openly dissects her contradictory feelings when it comes to fame, recognition and TikTok. Playing with irony wonderfully, she poses in front of a live feed of strangers, completing an amalgamation of activities and rituals she has witnessed on TikTok live streams. At the same time, she transcribes on a screen behind how much she hates what she is doing. It is incredibly cringeworthy to watch as she relentlessly dances to TikTok dance trends, poses suggestively in front of her camera and sips from her Stanley cup in a sickly-sweet pink bedroom setting that is littered with items bought from TikTok shop. She is constantly questioning her part in this hamster wheel of fame, humanely admitting to herself and to us, that she too cares about what people think of her and that she might have quite liked to be famous.
In a more tender segment, Orwin breaks character to speak with Jax who she made the piece in collaboration with and informally interviews about her online presence and relationship with TikTok. Jax is almost half of Orwin’s age at just 20 years old which is incredibly upsetting when you think about how much time and energy has been spent making other people watch and engage with your content as well as illuminating what content people tend to engage with.
Taking on the superpower of all social media platforms is a dangerous game to tiptoe into, but Orwin strides headfirst into this world, successfully personifying the psychedelic nightmare that is the brain, the TikTok algorithm, and the digital age.
Whether you regularly use the platform or have no idea what a For You Page is, you will leave FAMEHUNGRY questioning the moral dilemma we all face of a human desire to be liked, watched and ultimately accepted.
FAMEHUNGRY was performed at Summerhall’s Main Hall until 26 August as part of Edinburgh Fringe 2024.
Words by Abbie James
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