In the spotlight today is Diellza Ilgner and @dd_icted!
Just like last year, English Theatre Leipzig’s first production of the 2024 / 2025 season is a multi-faceted celebration of fresh talent. This September, three new short plays will be presented during vibrant evenings of culture and community in what we’re delighted to call New Voices 2.0! This year, the over-arching theme for the three shows is ‘Wicked’, which acts as a tantalising link between three very different concepts.
The first of these plays will be @dd_icted: created, devised and directed by Diellza Ilgner and Caya Krakor. Originating with a concept from Diellza, the directors have worked with their actors to create a narrative that delves into the world of social media and influencers, considering the consequences of our increasing reliance on Artificial Intelligence and the isolation our modern obsession with technology can cause. @dd_icted follows Kathrin, an inspiring influencer and everyone’s best friend, who is everything she wants to be… at least on social media. But what happens when someone pulls the plug? Could a chance power-outage prove to be a catalyst for change, or will it turn out to be a real-life ‘blue screen of death’?
I caught up with Diellza and we spoke about @dd_icted and the process of making this exciting show.
So, we’ve been able to see a short description of what happens in @dd_icted, but what would you say it is about?
I would say @dd_icted gives a very extreme insight into the ways in which many of us are addicted to our phones, and how much time we spend online. It also shows how many people have sadly un-learned how to properly connect with others in real life.
What were your main inspirations? How did you begin the process of creating what we will see onstage?
My main inspirations when coming up with the initial idea for the play were real-life scenarios – very everyday situations where I was surrounded by people my age and yet no-one was talking to each other. They were sending one another reels even though they were sitting right next to each other, and their phones had seemingly become the only method of communication. I felt like an alien; I felt so left out because I didn’t want to only communicate using my phone, and I felt very sad. I thought about what it would be like to have a play that talks about this phenomenon in a comical and yet quite a drastic and extreme way. I loved the idea and came up with the ridiculous influencer character of Kathrin Pisani. By being able to see a glimpse of her exaggerated life, maybe we would be able to reflect on our own behaviour in the real world.
The play is very focused on the Millennial / Gen Z phenomenon of ‘the influencer’. Would you say that @dd_icted has an appeal for older audiences too? Are there elements in the play that seek to cross the generational divide?
I hope that as this is a current issue and a worrying trend in the world of today that @dd_icted can appeal to any generation. Even if Kathrin is your daughter, or your grand-daughter, or even a friend, by focusing on this topic, letting it emerge through the story and letting it sink in and thereby seeing the genuine catastrophe that lies behind it in our now very digital world, I really hope solutions can arise. I hope we can learn to be more conscious and can return to making more authentic, offline contact with one another. Technology is an amazing tool, but it shouldn’t be something that is subconsciously stealing our time.
What has surprised or excited you the most about the production process of @dd_icted, and of New Voices 2.0 as a whole?
It’s so exciting to have such an amazing cast, and to be able to experiment and devise, and to listen to everyone and then to create something together collectively. Of course, I wrote the original version of this play, but I have loved seeing it change and evolve to fit this cast and this particular project. I feel like we have been able to create a really beautiful environment where the ideas can flow, and everyone feels comfortable with sharing their thoughts and daring to try things out. This is very important to me as a director.
How would you say the over-arching theme of “Wicked” can be observed in your play?
It’s super wicked, and actually quite scary thinking back on the information I gathered about technology and devices when I was first writing the play. We often don’t even know in many cases where our private information is stored and who has access to it, and the fact that quite intimate information that we wouldn’t necessarily think is out there can be gathered. In that initial research process, I very nearly fell into a ‘black hole’ when looking at this information, and I thought that I really needed to get offline and restrict my access to technological devices completely so that I would have no online profiles at all. That didn’t happen – I still have them, and I keep using them, but I try to be as aware and as careful as possible and use them only as tools. But, just knowing the truth about what you ‘sign up’ to when going online makes me more aware, and @dd_icted really tries to shove that message in the audience’s face, sort of saying “Hello guys, just in case you didn’t know- THIS IS HAPPENING!”. I think that this context shows how ‘Wicked’ is a part of the play, but equally important is the relationship between Artificial Intelligence and people like our main character; Kathrin, which is very sad and sinister when you consider that this is her only ‘friend’, as well as being a helper and kind of her slave. It’s a co-dependent relationship which is highly toxic.
What do you hope audiences will take away from watching @dd_icted?
Seeing the runs of the show and how everything is coming together, it feels like I am watching this teenage girl’s life so intimately, observing her and automatically reflecting on my own behaviour. Of course, Kathrin’s world is a very extreme one in which her only friend is her phone, but already I can identify a lot of patterns and behaviours which are very uncomfortable and that I would love to change in myself but also in others. I hope that a similar feeling will happen for the audience, and I would love for them to maybe go away from the show having a conversation about the show and its subject matter, and how the overuse of technological devices can affect people. That said, I also hope that the audiences will have fun and let themselves be immersed into Kathrin’s ‘perfect’ world just as someone pulls the plug on it.
Why did you want to work with ETL on this project? What has your experience of working with ETL been like?
As I am a Malta-based artist, I have always staged, created and written plays in English, even though my mother-tongue is German and I am originally from Germany. When I saw the call-out for plays for New Voices 2.0 from ETL I got super excited because I thought to myself “Wow… I can take my craft and that language to Germany- I can bring it home!”, and the feeling of bringing it home means a lot to me. ETL is the perfect platform to do this, and to stage plays in English in the context of Leipzig’s arts scene. Even our rehearsals have been conducted in English, allowing me to practice more and become better with the language, which I have really enjoyed. The future of the project is also very exciting, as I am thinking now of ways to stage this show internationally in English. I am very grateful for the opportunity ETL has given me.
New Voices 2.0 will premiere on 5th September at Neues Schauspiel Leipzig. Further performances will take place on the 6th, 7th, 13th and 14th of September. All performances begin at 20.00.
Tickets: https://tickethome.neuesschauspielleipzig.de/kuenstler/english-theatre-leipzig-nsl-present
About Diellza: Diellza Ilgner is a Malta-based artist working at the intersection of Theatre and Multimedia Exhibitions to explore social issues. Holding a BA in Performing Arts, she has written and directed three plays—BLACKOUT, Identitá, and @dd_icted—which investigate themes of multicultural identity, social media addiction, and societal constraints.
With a background in Music and Acting, Diellza has engaged in diverse performances across Germany, India, Ireland, and Malta. As a co-founder of the art collectives ConsciousArtDuo and D.SHOWS, her practice is rooted in using art as a medium for social commentary, often integrating therapeutic elements to create space for reflection and dialogue on political and cultural challenges.
About the Interviewer: Sam Roberts has been working with ETL since moving to Leipzig in March last year, and has been an active member since September 2023, when he directed What I learned from my time in the Fridge as part of the first New Voices. He has been integral to planning and running ETL workshops and has been privileged to work as Creative Lead on the New Voices 2.0 project this year.
