Matthew Libby’s Dystopian Thriller Data at Arena Stage is Edgy, Relevant and Thought-Provoking
Data
Arena Stage
Jordan Wright
November 12, 2024
Karan Brar (Maneesh) and Rob Yang (Wang Tao (Alex))(Photo/T. Charles Erickson Photography)
Factoid: The greatest concentration of data centers in the world are located in Northern Virginia. Eighty percent of the data center industry is located in and around Loudoun County. It is known as “Data Center Alley”.
In case you haven’t been following these news stories of late, there has been a ground swell of protest as local residents are fighting back against the proliferation of these massive buildings in their suburban neighborhoods. They are experiencing the infernal 24/7 humming heard inside their homes and are concerned about the massive electricity and water usage these operations demand.
Karan Brar (Maneesh) (Photo/T. Charles Erickson Photography)
In playwright Matthew Libby’s Data the focus is on what goes on within the walls of Athena, a predictive software company where manipulation, coverups, backstabbing and fear are rife. Inside we meet four employees, Maneesh (Karan Brar), Jonah (Stephen Cefalu, Jr.), Riley (Isabel Van Natta) and Alex (Rob Yang). Alex, a former officer in the Singapore army, leads the data analytics team. His data analytics team is considered the top dog in the company’s hierarchy. Alex wants to be able to tell his higher-ups that he has staffed his team with the finest engineers to qualify for a pending contract from Homeland Security.
Riley has been on the team for a while. For moral reasons she is fearful of what this contract wants the team to do. Maneesh is a recent hire in the company in a beginner’s program. An engineering prodigy from an immigrant family, he is being mentored by Jonah, an immature dork who is paranoid about being downsized (read: streamlining non-essential personnel) as the programs become more sophisticated. Riley wants Maneesh on the team, because she thinks he will be able to help her change the direction of this contract, which she fears is dangerous and highly intrusive. “I make the world a worse place,” she warns him, telling him how the project plans to institute a system for “immigration adjudication” which would directly affect Maneesh’s parents.
Karan Brar (Maneesh) and Stephen Cefalu, Jr. (Jonah) (Photo/T. Charles Erickson Photography)
While at university Maneesh designed a groundbreaking algorithm for predictive analysis and Alex believes it will be the catalyst to win the contract. He explains they want to source online data to learn about a “person’s heart”, all under the guise of global security. But first he wants Maneesh to understand that within Athena there is a ‘Code of Silence” that can never be broken. As a result of Alex’s manipulation, Maneesh ultimately signs an NDA to join the team. That’s the setup for this brilliantly written, super edgy and riveting drama.
Convos between these four characters are separated by interstices of electronica, the humming of massive computers processing data and tracers of florescent lights against a black screen. It’s eerie and thought-provoking. The movie, “Minority Report’ is referenced. If you know, then you know.
Isabel Van Natta (Riley) and Karan Brar (Maneesh) (Photo/T. Charles Erickson Photography)
The acting is pitch perfect and I couldn’t be more impressed by this political thriller loaded with the kind of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat. Who will betray whom, who is really in control and what will it all lead to? I urge you to see this modern-day dystopian drama with echoes of Orwell’s “1984” and its themes of mass surveillance and government control. It’s a cautionary tale for our times.
Highly recommended.
Directed by Margot Bordelon, Set Design by Marsha Ginsberg, Costume Design by Beth Goldenberg, Lighting Design by Amith Chandrashaker, Sound Design by Mikaal Sulaiman, Composer Dan Kluger, and Dramaturg Otis Ramsey-Zoe.
Rob Yang (Wang Tao (Alex)) (Photo/T. Charles Erickson Photography)
Through December 15th at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024. For tickets and information call the box office at 202 554-9066 or visit www.ArenaStage.org.