Eight Gigabytes revolves around two unnamed characters, a man and a woman, who meet online in search of something a little more exciting than everyday life. Both characters are on stage the entire time.
"I play a white New Zealander who's the same age as me [late 40s], from the same socio-economic background and who has had some similar experiences," says Wright. "There's no outrageous makeup or costumes to hide behind, which makes it very exposing of oneself as a performer so it's challenging to be that vulnerable and open.
"You have to be able to relate to the character you're playing, you have to find some common ground and shared understanding to genuinely represent them to an audience."
Making her directorial debut for Silo, Devenie says she picked Wright because he was brave and open during his audition and struck the balance between the comedy and poignancy of the play. She says it didn't sound weird or forced when the words were coming out of his mouth.
While it's been described as a tale of desperation about the lengths we go to find satisfaction, Eight Gigabytes is shot through with cringe comedy and the mix of bittersweet drama and comedy appeals to Bradley and Wright.
"It's endearingly funny and these characters say out loud the sorts of things we all think but never express," says Bradley. "I find it hard not to laugh when Mark and I are on stage and there are a couple of scenes where I don't know how I'm going to get through without laughing."
But there's a serious side. They see it as a play about loneliness and how in a digital age of instant gratification, we define and find happiness and, if necessary, reinvent ourselves in order to do so.
Wright thinks, given his character's porn addiction, he'll start off being the more unlikeable of the two protagonists but he and Bradley agree her character's addiction to spending and online shopping can be just as destructive and damaging.
"I think it's about two people desperately trying to make a connection in real life but, for a variety of reasons, are unable to do so," says Bradley. "It's very clever in how it looks at how we use the internet in an anonymous way and at how we deal with consumption, particularly how we partake in that. Her addiction to shopping is a lot more palatable than his addiction to pornography but it's still symptomatic of her inability to connect with people around her."
Forever the optimist, Bradley says if it does draw a crowd expecting something that more accurately reflects the name, it might not be a bad thing.
"It's thought-provoking and insightful. It gently introduces the two unnamed characters and coaxes out of audiences understanding and recognition of how the duo got to where they are. It caresses you along and you find yourself sympathising with these two people.
"They're not awful or weird or unusual; just people who, not through any fault of their own, have become lonely and see the internet as the way out."
Performance
What: Eight Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornography
Where & when: Q Loft, June 18-July 11
