When social media moderator Adam comes across a livestream of a man committing suicide, he is disturbed by his lack of emotional response to the footage. On a night out with his old friend Ben, this dissonance continues to haunt Adam, even when Ben confronts him about the issue, which opens emotional floodgates that threatens their friendship.

Written by the two cast members, Luke Ward and Alex Braglewicz, the play delivers a powerful and gripping attack on the desensitising effect of social media algorithms on people, with Adam’s exposure to the suicide video and subsequent lack of reaction having him questioning whether he is losing his ability to empathise with others. Similarly, his later arguments with Ben raise another contemporary issue – is Adam trying to care too much about issues that he has no control over?

Both issues are increasingly relevant to the mental health struggles of young people today, and Ward and Braglewicz effectively depict Adam and Ben as two sides of the same coin. Whilst they both effectively chart the increasing mental deterioration of Adam as the night progresses, their development of Ben is even more striking. The character’s initial laddish flippancy around the issues he debates with Adam dissolves when his online exposure reveals similar vulnerabilities and emotional turmoil as Adam.

The overall tone is well-judged, with the opening scenes of Ben joking around with a more subdued Adam giving way to emotionally and thematically darker content as the night progresses, with issues of surveillance and non-consensual filming also arising. However, Ward and Braglewicz avert the simplistic impulse to settle for an overly downbeat ending, instead settling for an ambiguity that feels more realistic.

Ward and Braglewicz boost the narrative and thematic effectiveness of their script with strong performances. Ward is excellent as Adam, skilfully portraying his emotional vulnerability and internal self-questioning not only in his line deliveries but also in the silent moments during the clubbing scenes, where his solitary position onstage also impressively reflects his growing isolation. Similarly, Braglewicz nails not only Ben’s initial jokey bravado in his early dismissive banter with Adam but also his later emotional volatility when he is confronted with uncomfortable truths.

‘Static Lives’ is an incredibly well-written two hander on the effects of social media and harmful online content on the lives of young people well realised by its impressive young writers. Ward and Braglewicz demonstrate a maturity that would be expected from older writers handling this issue.

‘Static Lives‘ is at theSpace @ Niddry St – Studio until Tue 19 Aug 2025 at 18:05