Monologist Mike Daisey examines relationship between technology and world view in 'Faster Better Social'
The Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech welcomes Mike Daisey, called a “master storyteller” by The New York Times, who uses wit and observation to explore the ways technology has changed the social landscape, in “Faster Better Social” on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 8 p.m.
The performance, which is for mature audiences only, will be held in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Moss Arts Center’s Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall.
Using monologues that weave autobiography, gonzo journalism, and unscripted performance to tell stories that define the world and the people who live in it, in “Faster Better Social,” Daisey focuses on life at this moment, where smartphones have transformed how the world is viewed.
By examining history, illuminating the unexpected, and using fierce humor, Daisey discusses how senses of privacy have dissolved, people are seen as clusters of information, and time shrinks as communication comes in 140-character haiku.
The day before his performance, Daisey will meet with close to 600 Virginia Tech students for informal question-and-answer sessions in two undergraduate classes — the College of Architecture and Urban Studies’ Foundation Design Laboratory course, and an Introduction to Theatre course in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.
Since his first monologue in 1997, Daisey has created more than 15 monologues, such as his controversial work, “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs” and the critically acclaimed “The Last Cargo Cult.” Other works include “How Theater Failed America,” “All the Hours in the Day,” “All Stories Are Fiction,” and the four-part “Great Men of Genius.”
As a playwright, his transcript of “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs” was downloaded over 100,000 times during the first week of its release. Under an open license, it has been produced more than 40 times around the world and been translated into six languages.
Daisey has performed in venues on five continents, and has been a guest on “Real Time with Bill Maher” and “The Late Show with David Letterman;” a longtime host and storyteller for “The Moth;” and a commentator and contributor for The New York Times, The Guardian, Harper’s Magazine, Vanity Fair, Slate, Salon, and National Public Radio. He is currently at work on his second book, an anthology of his monologues, and has received the Bay Area Critics Circle Award, five Seattle Times Footlight Awards, the Sloan Foundation’s Galileo Prize, and a MacDowell Fellowship.
“Faster Better Social” is created and Performed by Daisey and directed by Jean-Michele Gregory.
Tickets
Tickets are $25 for general admission and $10 for students and youth 18 years old and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Center for the Arts’ box office, noon to 6 p.m. on Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300.
Parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street. Virginia Tech faculty and staff possessing a valid Virginia Tech parking permit can enter and exit the garage free of charge. Event parking for visitors is $5. Event passes may be purchased in advance through the Center for the Arts box office or when entering the garage on event evenings. Limited street parking is also available. Parking on Alumni Mall is free on weekdays after 5 p.m. and on weekends.
