Tar and Feather

When Erin takes a #gaschamberselfie, it goes viral--and so does she. Her job offer gets rescinded, she's not allowed to go to class, and her family and friends abandon her. Everyone that is, except for Claudia, her best friend. Together they hatch a plan to confront Erin's anonymous online trolls. TAR AND FEATHER examines public shaming in the digital age. How close are any of us to a fall from grace...
When Erin takes a #gaschamberselfie, it goes viral--and so does she. Her job offer gets rescinded, she's not allowed to go to class, and her family and friends abandon her. Everyone that is, except for Claudia, her best friend. Together they hatch a plan to confront Erin's anonymous online trolls. TAR AND FEATHER examines public shaming in the digital age. How close are any of us to a fall from grace? And how does a well-intended person transform into a troll?

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Tar and Feather

Recommended by

  • Nick Malakhow:
    11 Oct. 2019
    A briskly moving and sharply satiric exploration of call out culture, the roots and evolution of public shaming, and the gears that turn in the minds of trolls. Idaszak has crafted very compelling and complex characters. How the story progresses is equally surprising as it is inevitable. I also love the way the piece demands creative staging and careful consideration of the role of the audience in a way that mirrors the very culture it is interrogating. Hilarious, dark, and exciting--I'd hope to see this of the moment play onstage soon!
  • Cara Haycak:
    10 Oct. 2019
    An engaging read that pushes buttons in all the right ways. Sharp, witty, timely and ultimately tragic...with a final act that I didn't see coming. The play personalizes all the issues at hand, through female characters that are caught in a web (no pun intended) that they can't escape. The play delivers its message in a completely fresh way. Loved it and want to read more from this playwright.
  • Aleks Merilo:
    6 Aug. 2019
    Intense, frantic, and acutely present. The playwright creates an alienated and impersonal world where public shaming becomes fertile ground for entertainment, and then, just when we think we know where it's going, she pulls out the rug from under the audience. The consequences of the unpredictable final scenes become raw, barbarous and pitiless. Terse lines like "They care online" and "Everything I have to say is all online" speak volumes after the curtain has fallen. The written style holds enormous potential for collaborating between director and designers. I look forward to reading more by Kristin Idaszak.

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Chicago Dramatists
    ,
    2018

Production History

  • High School
    ,
    Wayzata High School
    ,
    2018
  • Workshop
    ,
    Williamstown Theatre Festival
    ,
    2017
  • University
    ,
    Westmont College
    ,
    2016