Talkbacks Announced for DARKNET at Southwark Playhouse

Potential Difference today announces a series of post-show talks to accompany the world première of Darknet, a new play by Rose Lewenstein. Darknet navigates the hyperlinked world of data transparency and the uncharted deep web, uncovering the things we share and the places we hide. The four post-show talks will explore some of the ideas featured in the production including privacy, security and how to stay safe online and will feature industry experts as panellists and contributors.

All post-show events are free and open to the public and will take place in the theatre following the evening performance.

Darknet, written by Rose Lewenstein and directed by Russell Bender, has been commissioned and produced by Potential Difference. Darknet opens at the The Little, Southwark Playhouse on 18 April, with previews from 14 April, until 7 May.

"You're not even a fully formed person yet. Your face is still changing and your bones are still growing but already there's a detailed map of your personality out there and companies you've never heard of are getting rich off it."

Welcome to Octopus Inc., the internet giant that allows users to exchange personal data for currency. But not everyone is prepared to sacrifice their privacy for an easier life. A teenager subverts the system in an attempt to save her mother. A visionary tech exec takes shortcuts to get ahead. A convicted cybercriminal chooses between two kinds of freedom.

"With new innovation comes fear of the unknown." The production has been developed with input from top academics, journalists and specialists working in technology, cybersecurity and online behaviour. Writer Rose Lewenstein and director Russell Bender have worked on Darknet together over the past three years. Their organic relationship means they work together closely from the outset with each stage of research, writing and development workshops informing the next.

Post show talks:

Thursday 21 April, 10pm

Staying Safe Online

Led by Renate Samson (CEO of Big Brother Watch) and Tom Gaffney (F-Secure), this talk will explore the security and privacy issues we face online and what measures we can take to stay safe. Tom Gaffney has worked in technology for 20 years, the last eight with online security company F-Secure. He is an expert in security and privacy technologies, frequently speaking at industry events and training people to be safer online. Big Brother Watch campaigns on behalf of the individual, to educate and encourage more control over personal data. They produce unique research which explores and reveals the dramatic expansion of surveillance powers in the UK, the growth of the database state and the misuse of personal information.

Monday 25 April, 10pm

The Good and the Bad and the Ugly of the Deep Web

Chaired by Nathalie Nahai (author, speaker, and co-host of The Guardian Tech Podcast), this panel discussion will delve into the different faces of the deep web, from vital tool for human rights, to the strange, the criminal and the impenetrable. Panellists include Jamie Bartlett (author of The Dark Net, on legal and illegal internet subcultures, and Director of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at Demos) who is a leading expert on the darknet and online community and behaviour, and Thomas Rid (Professor in the Department of War Studies at King's College London) and author of Rise of the Machines (out in June 2016) and Cyber War Will Not Take Place.

Wednesday 27 April, 10pm

Debate on Security and Encryption

Chaired by Nathalie Nahai, this event will focus on the debate between government, law enforcement, tech companies and individuals around security and encryption. This issue feels particularly relevant having been brought to the fore by recent events including the "Snoopers' Charter" and the controversy surrounding Apple and the FBI attempting to unlock the San Bernadino shooter's iPhone. Panellists include Ross Anderson (Professor of Security Engineering at University of Cambridge) and chair of the Foundation for Information Policy Research, and Dr Ala'a Sheibanim, co-founder of Bahrain Watch, an independent organisation that seeks to promote democracy, equality and social justice in Bahrain, through evidence-based research investigations and advocacy.

Monday 2 May, 10pm

The Pros and Cons of Big Data

The final post-show event will take a look at the current state of data collection - what is shared willingly and unknowingly, what is it used for, how can we harness it for good and what the risks are? We will explore what corporate data collection means to our daily lives. Panellists include Geoff White (Technology Producer, Channel 4 News).

Potential Difference is a theatre company with a passion for telling stories that communicate complex theoretical ideas and their impact on the world around us. With each piece, they collaborate with academics and specialists, allowing their input to infuse the story, characters and staging. Through this unusual creative process, they aim to create theatre that is intellectually and viscerally engaging and challenges the divide between sciences and arts.

Darknet Listings

Southwark Playhouse

77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD

Box office: 020 7407 0234

www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

@swkplay

Press Night: Monday 18 April at 8pm

Performance times

Matinees 3.30pm

Evenings 8pm

Ticket prices

£20

Previews £12

Concessions £16

Post show talks (start time approximate, each event will last 30-40 minutes)

Thursday 21 April, 10pm Staying Safe Online

Monday 25 April, 10pm The Good and the Bad and the Ugly of the Deep Web

Wednesday 27 April, 10pm Debate on Security and Encryption

Monday 2 May, 10pm, The Pros and Cons of Big Data

To post a comment, you must register and login.