Playwright Rory Mullarkey visits the Web Science Institute

On Friday, I was invited to take part in a discussion-based lunch with Rory Mullarkey. Rory is a playwright whose current show, George and the Dragon, is on at the National Theatre. The lunch was arranged because Rory has been commissioned to create a play about the Internet (of which the Web is obviously a very important part!) by the Nuffield Theatre. Rory has a completely open brief and was invited to the Web Science Institute for inspiration.

And an inspiring lunch it was! A group of about 10 people felt exactly the right size for this discussion; fuelled by tea, coffee and cake. Those from the Web Science Institute introduced themselves and spoke about their research, which was a great opportunity for me to learn more about a subject I am fascinated by! It was also great to see Rory asking questions and engaging with the research and ideas of those in attendance. We were able to learn more about Rory’s current play George and the Dragon. Inspired by a Russian story, the play is split into 3 parts; fairytale, industrial revolution and modern capitalism. I won’t go into any more detail – however I very much wish to go and see, and highly encourage you to do the same!

The discussion overall proved very fruitful, for both Rory and the rest of the attendees. The lunch gave the Web Science Institute time to explore their own research and the interconnectedness of it, whilst hopefully providing Rory with some good material and ideas for his creative process.

Whilst live-tweeting , I opted for a slightly different technique of just pulling some individual quotes out of the discussion. Whilst it might not make lots of sense to you, I encourage you to read theRelated