“We’re comedians. Our process is: We want to write something funny. But we actually do believe what we’re talking about.”
Responders: Jared van Aalten and August Pollak
Name of Show:The Internet Is Trying to Kill You
1. Why should anybody see your show?
August Pollak: We’re trying to warn you. When everything collapses in a few years, you can be one of the smug people who tweets, “See, I told you so.” Assuming there’s still Twitter.
Jared van Aalten: If Twitter survives the apocalypse, it’ll just be men complaining about the remake of human civilization with an all-female cast.
2. Why Atlanta?
AP: Well, we live here, so that definitely helps.
JVA: Atlanta is becoming a massive tech hub, and we’re already one of the largest backbones of the Internet with thousands of miles of fiber. I mean, have you seen The Walking Dead? We don’t regulate things here!
3. What inspired you to create this?
AP: Social media has created this mentality that everyone is meaner than they were earlier in history, when, in reality, history is full of war, cruelty, hatred, and people generally being assholes to everyone. When you apply the social media mentality to any point in history, you get a similar result, just a funnier one. That’s the inspiring message of our show: People were always jerks to each other. Computers just help.
JVA: Plus, we had already written a few sketches about the Internet. As soon as we decided on the theme, the script was immediately half-way done.
4. What’s your process for creating and rehearsing something like this?
AP: We spend a lot of time being snarky and obnoxious, and then we get that out of our system and try our best to write something intelligent.
JVA: Emphasis on “try.”
AP: Do you need another minute?
JVA: Seriously, I think there’s a lot of intention behind what we’re doing. We can spend forty minutes bickering over one line.
AP: We’re comedians. Our process is: We want to write something funny. But we actually do believe what we’re talking about. We spent a lot of time thinking about ways to express how concepts people think are new to the digital age existed throughout history.
JVA: There may be cynical undertones to our show, but people are also going to have a good time.
5. What have you learned from working on your show so far?
JVA: People in the comedy and theater community are awesome. A great thing about Atlanta right now is how many people are willing to help you create and produce your content.
AP: Yeah. We first produced this show about a year ago, and when we pitched to our cast about reviving it, I was really surprised that almost everyone in the original production wanted to get involved again.
JVA: Also, I learned there are a lot of synonyms for “dick,” but none are nearly as funny.
6. Tyler Perry, Jane Fonda, Killer Mike and Donald Glover roll up at your show. There is one ticket left. Who gets it?
JVA: We both work in theatre, and the truth is there are always extra tickets for exactly this scenario: When Tyler Perry, Jane Fonda, Killer Mike, and Donald Glover all show up to see your show.
AP: I’m going to be honest. I’m imagining all of them showing up on Bird scooters.
[Above: Jane Fonda arrives at 7 Stages]
7. Atlanta’s foodie scene is really on point these days. What does your show taste like?(Bonus points if you can name-check an ATL restaurant.)
JVA: It tastes like the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club, because that’s where we wrote most of it.
[Ed note: Man that is a…..phewww that is a very particular taste and smell this show has. Good tater tots, tho!]
8. Fringes are the place to really push the boundaries so we gotta ask: would you want your parents in the front row or would you tell them, “Maybe skip this one, guys…”?
AP: I’d love it if my family visited Atlanta more.
JVA: I would also love to have August’s family visit Atlanta more.
AP: My parents would love the show, honestly. My dad already knows I say the F-word a lot. He leaves me voicemail messages complaining about my Facebook posts.
9. Will your show save mankind?
JVA: We hope so. The Internet is ACTUALLY trying to kill you.
AP: I’m not sure. This is sort of a spoiler, but the final message of our show is mankind is doomed. The show is about exactly how doomed mankind is.
JVA: We’re only screwed if enough people don’t listen to us. And by that I mean buy tickets to the show.
10. Oh boy! After your first show a genie pops out of a bottle and offers you a choice – world peace or your show enjoying a ten-year run on Broadway. What shall it be?
JVA: I think if we got a ten-year run on Broadway we actually WOULD accomplish world peace.
AP: (nerd voice) Excuse me, but I believe we receive THREE wishes, so I would like both, please.
JVA: What’s your third wish, then?
AP: For Tyler Perry, Jane Fonda, Killer Mike, Donald Glover, and my parents to all roll up to see our show.
11. Describe your show in three words.
JVA: “People are jerks.”
AP: “Communication ruined everything.”
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