A fascinating virtual play that elicited a visceral response for how well it captures the terrifying, unsettling socio-political and socio-cultural moment we're in. Vermillion looks at the intersection of media, content creation, politics, identity, and economics with a comprehensive, nuanced eye. The constellation of characters is well-chosen and recognizable. So much is tackled here in illustrating steps towards radicalization--the self-defeating ostracizing of potential liberal allies who don't pass the political litmus test, the welcoming of shunned liberals into far right circles by feeding their desire to belong/be validated, the dangers of being apolitical. On point work!

The thing that kept striking out at me throughout this play, is how young these characters are. No one can really honestly come to grips with the immense pressure and expectation of being a massively public figure so close to their audience, and yet people just out of childhood, in a medium they've been seeped in their whole lives, are thrust into such unbelievable situations, for passionate and cruel audiences. Vermillion writes flawed people, whose jobs have taken a toll on them, but always treats them with sympathy, even in places where it would be easy not to.