Guidelines review: teens and the aftermath of a murder filmed on a phone

The play pieces together fragments: distorted voice notes, the depths of the comments section and snatches of conversation form James Nash’s lithe little nightmare. It follows the aftermath of a murder filmed on a phone as its impact ricochets outwards in real life and on our screens.

Pip Williams’s clean direction immediately unsettles. Rachel-Leah Hosker and Alex McCauley flit between reciting community guidelines with fierce fixed smiles and playing a pair of teens unable to escape the story of the girl who was murdered in the woods. Patch Middleton’s sound design sustains tension, a thundering message from a worried mother mutating into an ominous threat.

The production echoes doomscrolling: shattered text, sometimes over-reliant on lists, loops and jumps, like short attention spans prompting one more slice of horror between clips of cats and silly dances. Parents and teachers flail for the right words, while the guidelines select only phrases that cover their own backs.

james nash, pip williams, rachel-leah hosker, alex mccauley, filmed murder, phone, community guidelines, doomscrolling, sound design, comments section