IRL

“What would I see if I found a tiny door that leads into your unconscious?”

At Supanova, a pop culture convention swirling with cosplay, crushes, and chaotic fandoms, Alexei is about to meet his internet love Thaddeus in real life. But when nerves take over, Alexei impulsively assumes a false identity to test the boy of his dreams. As their first date unfolds, Alexei’s best friend Taylor begins channeling the anti-capitalist vigilante superhero she plays on TV, and the line between fantasy and reality starts to bleed.

IRL is a queer rom-com about growing up online, first love, and the pop-cultural confusion of being young in a world where everything feels like cosplay.

Productions

• La Boite Theatre Company (2023)
  Directed by Sanja Simic. Set and Costume Design by Anthony Spinaze.
  Cast: Will Bartolo, Rachel Nutney, Byron Lancaster Howells.​

• Kings Cross Theatre (KXT) on Broadway (2024)
  Directed by Eugene Lynch. Set Design by Lochie Odgers. Costume Design by Lily Mateljan. Lighting Design by Topaz Marlay-Cole.
  Choreography/Movement Direction by Cassidy McDermott-Smith. Dramaturgy by Aaron Ronalds. Voice & Text Coaching by Patrick Klavins. Intimacy Consultancy by Madee Osborn.
  Assistant Direction by Luke Visentin. Stage Management by Sherydan Simson. Assistant Stage Management by Thomas Hamilton.
  Produced by Jason Jefferies, Bridget Haberecht & Eugene Lynch.

Praise for IRL

“You will finish the show having cackled to the point of nearly falling off your seat, and then at the end of the show you’ll get up, leave the theatre, and wonder if anything you just saw — or anything at all — was real.” — ★★★★★ Stage Door Podcast.

“A glitter bomb of wit and heart.” — ★★★★★ Glassroom Company.

“Lewis Treston does a Lewis Carroll with IRL, a through the looking glass adventure into a weird Wonderland.” — ★★★★★ Australian Stage.

“Explores that perennial search for truth, from the perspective of those born in the digital era.” — ★★★★ Suzy Goes See.

“A play about masks, malleable identities, and the gaps between the virtual and real worlds that young people navigate.” — ★★★1/2 Jason Blake, Limelight.

“100 (very) odd minutes of convention-defying storytelling that defies classic theatre culture.” — ★★★1/2 ArtsHub.  

“Oh. My. God. What a night at the theatre.” — The Young Syd Review.

“[A] successful, fresh instalment in the queer comedy canon.” — Sydney Arts Guide.

“This is a comedy that breaks the mould.” – Westender

“Asks some serious questions about the kind of people we’re becoming: namely, digital slaves to a rapidly shrinking pool of globalised electric dreams.” – Brisbane Times

Buy IRL here.